


a beautiful night (something dumb to do)

by Fives (janfives90)



Series: today and every day [1]
Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: F/F, Wedding Date AU, fake dating au, warnings: references to abuse; disinheritance; homophobia; and emotional and financial abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 23:51:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 26,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21127313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janfives90/pseuds/Fives
Summary: Upon being invited to her cousin's wedding, Emma Nolan finds herself in need of a date - and Alyssa Greene is happy to oblige for the right price.Between constant feuds with her parents and growing feelings for her hired girlfriend, Emma learns quickly that this event might be the longest two weeks of her life.Two weeks that will only get longer when she and Alyssa end up in the middle of a secret that could tear the entire Nolan family apart.





	1. Chapter 1

MR. AND MRS. ROBERT EDMUND KLEIN

REQUEST THE HONOR OF YOUR PRESENCE

AT THE MARRIAGE OF THEIR DAUGHTER

AMANDA KAYLEE

TO

MR. NICHOLAS DAVID BOOMER

SATURDAY, THE EIGHTEENTH OF APRIL

TWO THOUSAND TWENTY

AT QUARTER PAST FOUR O’CLOCK

SAINT ANTHONY OF PADUA CHURCH

EDGEWATER, INDIANA

AND AFTERWARD AT THE RECEPTION

ELKS COUNTRY CLUB OF EDGEWATER

Emma twists the invitation around between her fingers, staring at the gold embossed words and reading them for what has to be the fiftieth time.

Truthfully, she wasn’t expecting an invitation.

The only person in her family who really speaks to her with any enthusiasm is her grandmother, and, while her cousin isn’t _rude,_ Kaylee Klein is still far from the first person she’d voluntarily go to a wedding for.

Regardless, she wants to go. She isn’t really sure what’s driving the insane decision to attend, but she wants to go and see her grandmother and maybe see if Kaylee stays civil in person and hope that her family isn’t hostile when they have to look perfect in front of guests.

Her only problem is, she needs a date.

Her family had a hard enough time believing that she’s gay when she came out to them while she was in college, and she knows that most of them still don’t believe her.

If she shows up at Kaylee’s wedding alone, even some of the ones that _did_ believe her will go right back to assuming that she’s just using ‘I’m a lesbian’ to cover for a lonely life of singlehood unable to get a man.

Several stupider plans – and a few that were better, but far more impractical, such as “move to England and pretend the RSVP was an accident” – had been considered and crossed out before she ended up here. At an upscale bar in New York City, waiting for a woman whose ad said that she could do exactly what Emma needs.

She’s just really hoping that she’s not a complete dumbass who clicked on police bait for people trying to buy prostitutes.

When she sees the woman walking towards her, in an attractive but appropriate black dress, Emma thinks two things in rapid succession:

1 – If she did accidentally end up in a sting, it’s worth it.

2 – If she did not accidentally end up in a sting, her own dumb gay brain might kill her.

The woman pauses a few feet away, her eyes scanning Emma, taking her in, making an assessment. Emma fidgets with her tie, trying not to look too nervous. After another moment, she walks up to Emma and leans against the counter next to her.

“Emma Nolan?”

“Yes,” Emma says, staying as casual as she can. “You must be Ms. Greene.”

“Alyssa, please.” She slides onto the barstool next to Emma. “You look different from your picture.”

“Huh?”

Alyssa points at Emma’s hair, short and unruly and cut above her ear.

“Oh.” Emma runs a hand through the waves. “Sorry, it was an older photo. I don’t have a lot of recent ones and a selfie felt awkward.” She fidgets with her tie again. “You, uh, don’t look like yours, either.”

“I don’t?”

“No. You’re a lot more gorgeous in person.” Emma pauses. “Uh. I mean.” She laughs nervously. “Like, for a second I thought I misread your ad really badly and I was actually about to be arrested for-” She slaps her hand over her mouth. “Oh God,” she mumbles, her eyes going wide. “Oh, God, I’m so sorry.”

Alyssa laughs, a high, pretty sound. “You’re cute.” She pulls Emma’s hand away from her mouth. “You know, you wouldn’t be the first person who’s assumed I’m a prostitute, but I have to say, you’re the first person who wasn’t doing it deliberately.”

“I’m so sorry, I don’t know why I said that, it just came out.” Emma takes her glasses off and rubs the bridge of her nose before putting them back on. “Hell of a way to start this conversation.”

“It’s certainly an icebreaker.” Alyssa requests a cocktail from the bartender before leaning on the bar and watching Emma’s hands nervously play with her whiskey sour. “Why don’t you tell me what it is that you need a date for? Your email said it was a longer term deal, not just some four hour funeral, so it must be something big.”

Emma frowns. “People hire dates to escort them to _funerals?”_

“I’m not much of a fan, because I’m partially doing this to flex my dancing skills, but yeah, they do.” Alyssa shrugs and nods a quick thanks as she takes her Bay Breeze from the bartender. “Lonely people need company when they mourn.”

“Okay, don’t say things like that and then ask why people assume you’re being paid for sex.”

Alyssa chokes on her first sip of her drink. “That’s a good point.”

Emma, still flushed, mutters, “Glad you think so.” She continues to play anxiously with her glass as she says, “Like I told you in the email, I’m going to my cousin’s wedding next month. It’s on April eighteenth, but the actual events and dinners and everything start April third.”

Alyssa raises an eyebrow. “Two whole weeks? Good God, what kind of wedding is this?”

“We’re rich white Irish Catholics and she’s my aunt’s only child. The only chance to show off to the rest of the family,” Emma says dryly. “There’s a rehearsal dinner for the rehearsal dinner.”

“Ouch. I can feel the pretentious from here.” Alyssa smiles. “No offense.”

“Believe me, none taken.” Emma takes a sip of her drink. “I know Indiana probably doesn’t sound that exciting, but you’d have all of your expenses paid in addition to your fee, and there _is_ entertainment there besides watching my total disaster of a family.”

“Hm.” Alyssa drinks from her cocktail, a long, slow sip that’s more for a chance to pause and think. “I’m not too concerned about that, though I do appreciate that you’ve taken it into consideration.”

“What _are_ you concerned about?” Emma grins. “I know there has to be something.”

Alyssa drums her fingers on the counter and looks Emma right in the eye. “I have two. Not so much concerns, just questions. One: Why do you need to bring a date?”

Emma laughs. “Can I answer the second one first?”

“No.”

She clears her throat and adjusts her tie again. “My family knows that I’m gay. They’re not… thrilled? I’ll put it that way. I know in my heart that if I show up alone, they will either decide that I’m not actually a lesbian or the ones who have actually accepted it will find a way to passive-aggressively mock me for it. I’m not really sure I can put up with two weeks of that on top of the rest of my family’s standard bullshit.”

Alyssa nods calmly and finishes her drink. “I can understand that. It does quite nicely lead me to question two.”

“Which is?”

“Why are you doing this to yourself at all?”

Emma is silent for a long moment, swirling her ice cubes around in her glass. “My grandmother accepts me. I love her, and I rarely see her. My cousin isn’t that bad, either, she’s never been rude, though I’m not sure I trust her. But at the end of the day, Alyssa, I want to do this because I know that almost no one who’s going to be there wants me there. That might sound silly, and I know it’s asking a lot to ask you to volunteer to put yourself into that kind of environment.” She takes a small sip of her drink to pause. “I’m not afraid of them, and I don’t care that they don’t want me. If I want to go to something I’m invited to, I want to prove to them that I’m not afraid to just because they’re invited too.”

Alyssa is silent for a long moment. She reaches over, straightening Emma’s tie carefully. “Do you know how to dance?”

Emma blinks. “What?”

“We’re going to be at a wedding, so I’d like to know if I need to give you a crash course in dancing before we leave.”

“I know how to- Wait.” Emma swallows. “You’re going to do it?”

“Of course I am. The pay’s good, and the company doesn’t seem too bad either.” Alyssa winks at her. “Plus, it might be entertaining.”

Emma laughs. “I think I can promise that much, at the very least.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad I posted the first chapter of this fic before Caitlin and Izzy decided to go to a wedding. Thanks guys.

“When’s my birthday?”

“May 27th.”

“Okay. And yours is June 3rd.”

Emma nods, half-paying attention as she does paperwork in her office. “It won’t be all that important, though. I’m not even sure my own mother remembers my birthday, and she’d be the one person you would think would have some idea.”

Alyssa leans back in her chair, flipping through her notecards. “Oh, how about this one. Where did we meet?”

“In the bar at the hotel while you were here for a management conference.”

“Have you been studying?” Alyssa asks with a smile.

Emma laughs. “I wouldn’t say so. I just listen.”

“Hm.” Alyssa taps her notecards against her lips, looking at her thoughtfully. “You do, don’t you?”

“What?” Emma asks, grinning up at her.

“You’re interesting. That’s all.” She gestures around the room. “You made the effort to meet with me while you’re at work, during what’s supposed to be your lunch break, even though you’re still busy. I’ve never had a client put that much into anything before.”

Emma shrugs. “I’m the one paying you to fake a relationship, aren’t I? Shouldn’t I be committed to making it believable?”

Alyssa snorts. “You’d be surprised how many people expect me to do everything for them.”

“I mean, if you want to go through these customer complaints and suggestions for me, I certainly wouldn’t take issue,” Emma says with a grin.

“Nice try, Nolan. I don’t think you’re paying me enough for _that.”_

“What would it take? I can sell my car.”

Alyssa laughs and sets the notecards down on the desk. “You _can’t_ pay me enough.”

“Coward.” Emma leans back in her chair, casually putting her hand behind her head. “Are you nervous?”

“No. It’s just another job. But I’m guessing that means _you’re_ nervous?”

“I still want to go. I guess I’m just worried that you’ll get screamed at at some point, and I’m starting to regret asking you to get involved.” Emma gives her a thin smile. “I know it’s been a month or so of prep, but you can back out. I’ll pay you for your time thus far.”

Alyssa stares at her for a moment. “You’d be alone. Isn’t that what you’re trying to avoid?”

Emma shrugs and looks away. “Better than making someone else pay.”

“Look, Em, I’m not going to say that I’m excited about the thought of getting into a fight with your family, but taking some of the weight off of your shoulders is what I’m here for.”

“Here I thought you were just here to look beautiful so I could show you off,” Emma jokes.

Alyssa grins. “That’s a part of it, yes, but I want to make this easier. You deserve that much.”

Emma watches her for a moment. “You’re something different, you know that, Alyssa Greene?”

“Bad different or good different?”

“Good,” Emma murmurs. “Definitely good.”

* * *

_“Hey. Do you have a second?”_

“Yeah, of course,” Emma says, holding her phone between her ear and her shoulder as she unloads her dishwasher. “What’s up?”

Alyssa’s voice has an edge of nervousness to it. _“There’s one stipulation to you being a client of mine. I’ve been holding back on it, because I wanted us to know each other more before I brought it up.”_

Emma frowns and straightens her head, taking the phone in her hand and leaning on the counter. “What is it?”

_“If I’m going to an event that’s multi-day, out of state, or otherwise requires me to travel a long distance with a client, I need someone to know who I’m going to be with.”_

“Okay…”

_“I, uh… I need you to meet my mother.”_ There’s a slight embarrassed tone to Alyssa’s voice as she rushes to add, _“I’m sorry; she’ll probably interrogate you. She’s going to want to photocopy your driver’s license, but it’s just so that she has proof of who I’m with. I’ll understand if it’s too invasive, if you don’t want to continue the job, but I really need-”_

Emma calmly slides her free hand into her pocket. “Would you like to bring her to my place for dinner, or would she feel more comfortable at a neutral site?”

_“…What?”_

“I figure that it would be polite for me to meet her at a dinner of some sort?”

Alyssa hesitates. _“You’re going to do it?”_

“Yeah, of course. I mean, I get it. She wants you to be safe. I’d kill for a parent who cared like that.” Emma pauses. “Not that I would kill someone.”

_“I got that,” _Alyssa says with a laugh. _“Okay, uh, wow, I sort of expected you to say no. A lot of people do.”_

“If you turn down something that’s just for the sake of safety, you’re sort of proving that you shouldn’t be trusted.”

_“Yeah. Yeah, I guess so. Uhm. I’ll ask my mother what she’d like to do for dinner, and then I’ll get back to you?”_

“Absolutely. If she’d like me to get fingerprinted for a background check, just let me know.”

Alyssa snorts out another laugh that fades when Emma doesn’t laugh with her. _“Oh my God, you’re serious.”_

“It’s the right thing to do.”

_“Dear God. She’s going to love you.”_

* * *

“The flowers are absolutely gorgeous, Ms. Nolan,” Mrs. Greene says as she sits down at the head of her dining room table. “You didn’t need to do that.”

“It seemed right.” Emma winks at Alyssa across the table. “It’s only proper to give flowers to the mother of the girl I’m dating, isn’t that correct?”

“Oh, shut up,” Alyssa laughs.

Mrs. Greene raises an eyebrow as she looks between them. “Well,” she says slowly. “Alyssa told me a small bit about the event she’s attending with you. Not a lot, privacy is important to her, but I know it’s a wedding in Indiana.”

Emma nods. “My cousin’s.”

“How safe is this location?”

Alyssa winces. “Mother.”

Emma doesn’t even react. “The wedding-related events are staffed with private security, and the overall facilities – the reception venues, the hotel, the most common recreation locations – have security teams as well. Things off-site won’t be as strictly protected, but it’s not a very dangerous town.”

“Good. I wouldn’t be very approving if it was potentially unsafe.”

“Of course. I completely understand.” Emma reaches down next to her chair and pulls a manila envelope out of her satchel. She holds it out to Mrs. Greene before taking a sip of her wine. “There’s two photocopies of my driver’s license in there; I can show you the real thing to prove it’s the properly done. I also have two letters of reference, my credit score, and a background check. If you’d prefer to get my fingerprints to get a background check done yourself, that’s fine, too.”

Mrs. Greene blinks.

“Oh, God,” Alyssa whispers, putting her face in her hands.

“I think you might be my favorite,” Mrs. Greene says, taking the envelope from Emma and opening it.

Alyssa groans louder and lets her head sink onto the table.

Emma grins at her, affection in her eyes, and takes another sip of her wine as Mrs. Greene flips through the papers.

* * *

“You know,” Mrs. Greene says casually as she hands Alyssa a dish to dry. “I really like her.”

Alyssa rolls her eyes. “You do, do you now.”

“I do.” Mrs. Greene glances at her. “She seems really good, Alyssa. Like someone who could be really good to you.”

“Why? Because she has money?”

“I’m not saying it because she’s rich.” Mrs. Greene gives an embarrassed laugh. “I know I’ve nudged you in that direction before, but I promise I’m not doing that.” She turns off the sink and leans against the counter, drying her hands. “She’s polite, she’s careful, and she’s got a kindness to her that I can see in her eyes every time she looks at you. She doesn’t look at you like you’re some product that she can buy, and she speaks with honesty. She makes you laugh.” She shrugs and hangs up the dish towel. “All I’m saying is that I like her. Very much. And I think you like her, too.”

Alyssa feels her cheeks get hot. “Emma is a client, Mom. I have a rapport with her; nothing more.”

“Mhm. That feels an awful lot like an excuse.” Mrs. Greene pulls her phone out of her pocket and looks down at the screen. “Would you like me to tell you just how much the flower she brought me cost? I think it might be a little more than _rapport.”_

_“Mother!”_ Alyssa smacks her mother’s arm, letting out a small, helpless laugh. “You can’t do that!”

“I wanted to see if she was just trying to suck up to me by buying some cheap flowers on the way here, but that’s not possible, because you have to preorder and pay some astronomical amount no matter what you get. It’s certainly possible she’s trying to show off her money, but I would imagine that she’d have brought more attention to them if she was.”

“She _is_ interesting,” Alyssa murmurs.

“Interesting, huh?” Mrs. Greene says with a grin.

Alyssa bumps against her and grumbles, “Leave me alone.”

Mrs. Greene laughs and takes the final dish from Alyssa to put away. “You’ll certainly have a time at this wedding, though. That family has more money than I can even imagine.”

“What? You know her family?”

“It was referenced in her background check.” Mrs. Greene frowns. “Don’t you know?”

Alyssa fidgets with the towel in her hands. “Know what?”

“Honey, her last name isn’t just Nolan. She’s one of _the_ Nolans. The family that owns more hotel brands and casinos than I can even try to list?”

She feels her mouth go dry. “Oh,” Alyssa murmurs. “Those Nolans.”

* * *

“I’m comfortable in airplanes, but they’re always a bit boring,” Emma says with a yawn, resting her head back in her seat.

Alyssa shifts in her seat next to her, staring out the window, waiting for takeoff.

“You okay?” Emma murmurs, resting her hand on top of Alyssa’s on the arm rest. “You seem nervous. We could’ve driven if you don’t like flying.”

“It’s not that. There’s just something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about, and I… I should’ve thought to ask before now.”

Emma sits up a bit straighter, frowning. “What’s up?”

“Why…” Alyssa takes a breath. “Why didn’t you tell me that your family is _the_ Nolan family?”

Emma blushes. “Oh. Right.” She clears her throat uncomfortably. “Honestly, I don’t really like to talk about it, but you’re right. You should’ve been told. It’s a lot of money and a lot of rich snobs, and I’m not fond of parading the information out. But I should’ve told you.” She absentmindedly strokes her thumb against the back of Alyssa’s hand, looking at her curiously. “Is it an issue?”

“No,” Alyssa murmurs. “You just…” She pauses. “You… hear some things. I’m certainly not accusing you of anything, I’m just saying that sometimes there’s talk.”

Emma sighs heavily. “I’m not in the mob, Alyssa.”

“I didn’t say you were,” she protests, but the way her voice squeaks does her no favors.

“Though I maybe had some relatives in the IRA in the 70s, for the sake of disclosure.”

Alyssa laughs. “Well, you weren’t born then, so I think I can give you a pass.”

Emma gives her a small smile. “In all seriousness. I know my family sometimes gets rumors tossed around because we run casinos. And because I’m pretty sure one of my uncles went to jail for embezzlement. But they’re stuck-up rich homophobic pricks, Lys. Not the mafia. I promise you, you’re safe with me.”

“I know I am,” Alyssa whispers. She stares at Emma for a long moment, then leans in and presses a soft, quick kiss to her lips.

“What was that for?” Emma murmurs.

“We’re going to have to pretend to be a couple for the next two weeks,” Alyssa says softly. “We’re going to have to kiss sometimes to make it believable, won’t we?”

Emma swallows and nods. “Right. Yes. Of course.” She leans back in her seat, closing her eyes and focusing on the rumble of the plane’s engines, her hand still lightly set on top of Alyssa’s. Alyssa turns her hand over, letting their fingers loosely interlock.

They stay there for the entire flight.


	3. Chapter 3

Alyssa watches as Emma stares up at their hotel, repeatedly loosening and tightening her tie in a nervous twitch. “Hey,” she says softly, stepping in front of her and stilling her hands with a gentle touch. “Look at me.”

Emma makes eye contact, and Alyssa’s heart breaks at the fear in her eyes. “Why am I doing this?” she mumbles. “I’m an idiot. I shouldn’t have done this.”

“Don’t do that. You’re not an idiot.” Alyssa lifts Emma’s collar and undoes her tie, retying it as she talks. “There’s nothing wrong with what you’re doing, okay? You’re allowed to be here. You were invited. This is your family.”

“Your mother was nicer to me in four hours than my mother has been to me since college,” Emma whispers.

Alyssa turns her collar back down and rests her palm against Emma’s cheek. “It’s going to be okay. You can do this, Em.”

Emma gives a soft laugh and rests her forehead against Alyssa’s. “I’m sorry. I don’t think it’s in your contract to carry all of my emotional baggage.”

“I’m pretty strong. I can lift a good amount of it if you need me to.” Alyssa grins and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek before pulling away. “Come on. It’s time to check in, Nolan. Let’s get this started, shall we?”

“Okay.” Emma takes in a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s go.”

* * *

“Did you see the look on her face when I gave her my name?” Emma mutters as she watches the receptionist call someone to take their bags to their room. “Poor girl looked terrified.”

“That’s not on you,” Alyssa says, brushing her fingers down the back of Emma’s neck.

“Mm. Maybe not. Still my blood, though.”

“Well, I-”

“What in the _hell_ are _you_ doing here?”

Alyssa turns, startled, in time to see a man in perfectly tailored suit storming towards them, his voice a low hiss. Emma shrinks back a bit, and between the movement and the extremely familiar color of his hazel eyes, Alyssa is pretty sure she knows exactly who he is.

“I-I was invited, Dad,” Emma stammers.

Patrick Nolan glares at his daughter. “Who invited you?”

“I, uh… I don’t know. Kaylee, I guess?”

He folds his arms across his chest. “You didn’t think to inform us that you were going to be letting yourself stay here?”

Emma gives a small shrug and looks away. “I made a reservation.”

“Yeah? Well you shouldn’t have bothered.”

Alyssa steps forward, putting herself slightly between Mr. Nolan and Emma. “It’s such a _pleasure_, Mr. Nolan,” she says, smiling brightly as she shakes the man’s hand. “I’m Alyssa Greene. I’m Emma’s plus one.”

He narrows his eyes and pulls his hand back. “So… you’re…”

“I have to say,” Alyssa says, cutting him off as she easily slides her hand into Emma’s, “this is quite the lovely hotel you have here. It’s so peaceful and elegant.” Her smile gets a bit sharper, colder. “It would be a shame if anything caused a scene in the lobby to interrupt the mood, wouldn’t you agree?”

Mr. Nolan stares at her for a long moment. “Of course.” He starts to walk past them, but he stops at Emma’s shoulder, lowering his voice to a level that he seems to think only she can hear. “If you ruin this for your cousin,” he murmurs, “you’ll regret it.”

Once he’s gone, Emma lets out a ragged breath. Alyssa pulls her close by her hand. “Em,” she whispers. “What did these people do to you?”

“It’s nothing like that. I promise.” Emma gives a strained laugh. “All the bruises are on my heart, Lys.”

Alyssa skims her fingers along Emma’s jaw and kisses her softly. “You deserve more than that, you know. You deserve to have someone take care of your heart the way it should be.”

Emma swallows, their faces far too close. “You’re very good at this, you know,” she murmurs.

“I do know,” Alyssa says with a grin.

“Oh my _God.”_

Emma turns quickly, and Alyssa follows her gaze to see two women their age coming out of the hallway leading to the elevators.

The one who spoke takes a step forward, her eyes wide. “Emma?” she whispers.

Emma gives a small, awkward wave. “Hey, Kaylee.”

Kaylee Klein rushes forward and practically tackles her cousin in a hug. “I’m so glad you made it. I was worried you wouldn’t come.”

“Uh. Well, I, uh… I’m here.”

“Are you gonna let her breathe, Kay?” the second woman asks with a laugh as she joins them.

“In a minute,” Kaylee says with a smile as she lets Emma go.

Emma gives a hesitant grin. “Shelby.”

The second woman pulls Emma into a crushing hug. “Long time no see, Nolan. I was getting worried about you.”

“I’m alright.” Emma pats the woman on the shoulder as she backs out of the hug. “I’m alright.” She pauses before she gestures at Alyssa. “Uhm. Kaylee, I hope you don’t mind. This is my plus one. This is Alyssa. My, uh, my girlfriend.”

To Alyssa’s surprise, Kaylee doesn’t miss a beat. She reaches out and shakes Alyssa’s hand politely. “Nice to meet you, Alyssa. I’m Kaylee Klein.”

“Of course. Emma’s cousin. Congratulations on the wedding.”

Kaylee’s smile seems to twitch slightly, but she nods. “Thank you.”

The second woman leans forward and shakes Alyssa’s hand as well. “Shelby Gonzales, maid of honor. How did you end up stuck with this one?”

Emma narrows her eyes and smacks Shelby’s shoulder.

Alyssa laughs and gives Emma an affectionate look. “I’ve been happy with her.”

“Good. Happiness is important.”

Kaylee rolls her eyes. “She’s been on a kick with this.”

“As the _best_ friend,” Shelby says, putting her arm around Kaylee’s shoulders and squeezing her tightly, “it’s my job to make sure this one is as _happy_ as she can possibly be at this event.”

Kaylee sets her hand on top of Shelby’s, thumb brushing against her knuckles as she grins. “You’ve done a very good job.” She pecks a quick kiss against Shelby’s cheek and pulls out of her grip. “And now I need you and Emma to distract my mother so Nick and I can do the final approval on the cake.”

Emma stares at her. “How the hell did I get dragged into this?”

“Because as much as Shelby loves me, she’s not gonna do _that_ without someone to split the pain with.”

Shelby grins without any humor and slaps her hand down on Emma’s shoulder. “You love me, don’t you, Nolan?”

Emma pauses. “Is it too late to take back my RSVP?”

“Yes,” Kaylee and Shelby say in unison.

“Been here five minutes and I’m already getting ganged up on,” Emma mutters. “Can we at least get into our room before you sacrifice me to the wolf that is your mother?”

“Oh, don’t worry, that won’t actually be until tomorrow morning. It’s late.”

Shelby grips Emma’s shoulders tightly. “Please. Don’t run away in the middle of the night. I’m begging you.”

Emma scoffs out a laugh. “And miss watching you try to play maid of honor at a wedding where my aunt is the mother from hell? Not a chance.”

Kaylee laughs, a little too loudly. “Oh. You have no idea.”

* * *

Emma sits on the edge of the bed, running her hands over her face. “Shit. I’m actually doing this. This is actually happening.”

Alyssa sits down next to her. “It is. Are you okay?”

“I think so. I just wasn’t… I wasn’t expecting Kaylee and Shelby to be so…”

“Welcoming?”

Emma nods. “I mean, it’s not like I was expecting them to be _rude, _or… I don’t know. Kaylee, Shelby, and I used to do everything together. When my parents found out I’m gay, the whole family sort of…” She shrugs. “Kaylee was sort of ordered to stop talking to me, and it’s hard to defy something like that. Shelby stuck with Kaylee. I lost the only two friends I really had, and… I don’t know. It’s strange to have them just. Pretend like nothing ever happened.”

“Have you ever talked to them about it? Or would you like to?”

“I don’t know.” Emma shrugs. “Isn’t it better to maybe have them back?”

Alyssa takes Emma’s hand in hers, idly brushing her thumb against her knuckles. “Perhaps. But will it be real if they don’t know how you’re feeling about it?”

“That’s a question I’m not sure I know the answer to. And I’m not sure I’m willing to try to address it right before Kaylee’s wedding. It seems rude.”

“Fair enough. It’s worth considering, though.”

Emma nods. “It is.” She presses a soft kiss to Alyssa’s temple. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” Alyssa stands. “Are you still okay with us both sleeping in the same bed?”

“Yes. They would’ve found it odd if I’d asked for two.” Emma swallows, eyes following Alyssa’s hands as she starts to unbutton her shirt. “Uhm,” she says, her voice squeaking a bit. “I’ll go change in the bathroom to give you privacy.”

Alyssa looks down briefly before meeting Emma’s gaze and blushing. “I’m sorry. I’m half asleep and just started moving automatically.”

“I-It’s fine. You’re fine.” Emma winces. “I-I mean… uh…” She stands and grabs a few things out of her suitcase. “Everything is fine.”

“Em.” Alyssa grabs her arm before she can move past her. “You don’t make me uncomfortable. If I ever do, please let me know.”

“You don’t make me uncomfortable, Lys.” Emma glances down, flushes, and clears her throat as she meets Alyssa’s gaze. “Can I say something as your fake girlfriend?”

“…Sure?”

“That’s kind of a hot look on you.” Emma gives her a shy smirk and heads into the bathroom.

Alyssa looks down, realizing that her shirt is fully unbuttoned, leaving her with her bra and abs on full display. “If you’re not careful, Nolan, I’ll wear this to the cocktail party tomorrow,” she yells through the bathroom door.

Her heart feels lighter as she hears a bright, playful laugh from Emma in response.


	4. Chapter 4

“I don’t really want to leave you alone around here,” Emma says as she ties her shoes and watches Alyssa put on lipstick. “At least, not this early in the trip.”

“Emma, I’ll be fine. There’s a casino, we have open access to a country club, there’s scenery, I’m sure I can find ways to entertain myself.”

Emma rubs her hands together. “I know. I just… Try to avoid my father, would you? I don’t want him to say something needlessly cruel to you just to be petty.”

“I can handle one homophobic jackass, Em.”

“Around here, it’s not just one,” Emma mutters.

Alyssa gives her a thin smile. “Help me with my necklace?”

Emma nods, distracted, and walks over to stand behind her. She carefully brushes Alyssa’s hair off of her neck, then takes the necklace and slides it into place, hooking the chain together in the back. She sets the chain down, her fingers skimming against Alyssa’s skin, and she glances up, meeting Alyssa’s eyes in the bathroom mirror.

“Is that okay?” she whispers.

Alyssa swallows and nods. “_Everything_ is okay.”

Emma lowers her hand and clears her throat, taking a small step back. “Good. I’m glad.”

“Go try to have fun, okay? Maybe you can figure out how to talk to Shelby about the past, or maybe you can decide what you want your relationship to be now.”

“Sure.” Emma laughs. “Though I don’t think anything involving my Aunt Amanda will be _fun.”_

Alyssa frowns. “I thought Kaylee’s name was Amanda.”

“Mhm. Oh, it is. Why do you think she goes by her middle name?”

“Rich people are _weird,”_ Alyssa mutters.

“Tell me about it.”

* * *

“Who invited _you?”_

Shelby rolls her eyes. “Kaylee did, Mrs. Klein. The rest of the Nolan family is here. Why not Emma?”

Mrs. Klein grits her teeth as she smiles. “Well… I just think…”

“It’s so nice to see you, too, Aunt Amanda,” Emma says. “Have you heard that Shelby might want to change the design of the centerpieces?”

“What?” Mrs. Klein gives Shelby a wild look. “You can’t do that! I made a _pristine_ design!”

Shelby swallows. “Well. You know. I just, uh, thought something else might be more. Kaylee.”

“This wedding isn’t about _Kaylee!”_

Emma rubs her hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh at the trapped look on Shelby’s face as her aunt continues to rant with more and more hysterics.

* * *

“I can’t believe you did that,” Shelby mutters as she and Emma leave Mrs. Klein at the country club. “I mean, I can, but come on.”

“Consider it payback for making me help in the first place,” Emma says with a shrug.

“Fair enough.”

_“Shelby!”_ Mrs. Klein’s voice yells from somewhere behind them. _“Are you still here?”_

“Oh, God,” Shelby whispers. “I’m going to die.”

Emma raises an eyebrow. “Is the training room still in the basement?”

“…Yes.”

“Think you still have any skill, Gonzales?”

Shelby laughs. “I’d be more worried about yourself, Nolan.”

* * *

Alyssa sticks her hands in her pockets, watching people come and go through the doors of the hotel. She’s about to head into the bar when an old woman stops next to her.

“I saw you arrive last night,” the woman says quietly. “With my Emma. Are you her girl?”

“I am, ma’am,” Alyssa murmurs.

She studies her for a long moment, her gaze narrow and inquisitive. “You seem like someone who could be good for her. At the very least, you shut my fool of a son up, which I can appreciate.”

“You’re Emma’s grandmother.”

“I am indeed.” The woman shakes Alyssa’s hand, using the grip to pull Alyssa into a quick hug. “Elizabeth Nolan. Everyone calls me Betsy.”

“Alyssa Greene. I apologize for loitering around in your lobby, ma’am. Emma had to take care of something with Shelby, and I wasn’t really sure what to do while I waited.”

Betsy raises an eyebrow. “Emma is with Shelby?”

“Yes?”

The old woman laughs, a high, bright sound, and Alyssa feels an immediate rush of affection for her. “Those two were always trouble together. If you want to find Emma, I suggest going to the basement of the country club. If I still know her, that’s where they’ll be.”

Alyssa hesitates. “I don’t want to interrupt her if she’s-”

“Oh, go ahead, dear.” Betsy grins and pats her hand. “Have some fun.”

* * *

The basement seems mostly deserted, until she gets to a room that seems like an exercise or training area, with mats throughout the floor, storage boxes and racks on the wall, and benches along the sides of the room.

She hears a buzz, and what seem to be points click on a digital counter on the wall across from her. Her gaze travels down, to the center of the room, and she watches as two fencers get set across from each other.

They start, moving towards each other with a speed and skill that makes Alyssa just stand there and silently watch.

One of the fencers, with blue on their sleeves, makes contact, and the points register on the wall. They let out a sharp laugh before stepping back and taking off their helmet. Alyssa is surprised to see Shelby, but she’s even more surprised when her opponent pulls off their own helmet.

Alyssa’s stomach twists with something that’s somehow both pleasant and not when she sees Emma, her hair sticking up a bit with sweat, face flushed from effort. “You got lucky.”

“You’re just forgetting that I was _always_ better than you, Nolan,” Shelby retorts.

“That’s a nice healthy imagination, Gonzales.” Emma walks over to a bench and sets her helmet down, sliding her sword onto a rack on the wall. As she picks up a water bottle, she notices Alyssa in the doorway. “Oh, Alyssa, hi.”

It’s not dismissive, more confused, but it still sends a pang of what’s almost jealousy through Alyssa’s gut. “Hey. I didn’t know where you went.”

“Sorry, honey, I just needed to think for a bit. And hide.” Emma runs a hand through her hair, and it fluffs up even more, a disheveled mess that’s cuter than it has any right to be.

“We needed to get away from the chaos,” Shelby says, sitting on a bench on the opposite side of the room. “We thought Kaylee’s mother might not find me here.”

Alyssa gives her a sympathetic smile. “Planning?”

Shelby scoffs. “I’ve known what I’m supposed to do for months. Nitpicking the details isn’t going to make it a better ceremony.”

“I can agree with that.” Alyssa raises an eyebrow at Emma. “I didn’t know you _fenced.”_

Emma gives her a sheepish smile as Shelby laughs. “She didn’t tell you that we were on the same fencing team at school? It’s how we met. I actually met Kaylee through her.”

“Aw.” Alyssa walks into the room and pats Emma’s shoulder. “You gave your cousin her maid of honor.”

“Thrilling,” Emma mutters.

Alyssa sets her hand on Emma’s cheek and kisses her, hard enough that Emma lets out a tiny whimper. “You’re really hot in that,” she murmurs against Emma’s lips.

“Yeah, that’s my cue to leave,” Shelby says with a laugh as she picks up her helmet. “If you want to try again sometime, Nolan, you know where to find me.”

“Uh huh,” Emma says dumbly.

Shelby walks out of the room, and Alyssa’s hand drops from Emma’s cheek.

“Sorry,” she says quietly. “But you really do look hot like this, and if we were dating, it would only make sense for me to kiss you like that.”

“Right,” Emma stammers. “Right, of course.” She clears her throat and runs a hand through her hair again. “Uh. H-How did you know where to find me?”

“I met your grandmother. She made the suggestion.”

Emma’s eyes brighten. “You saw Grandma?”

“I did. It sounded like she saw us last night, but I guess she didn’t want to interrupt.” Alyssa gently flattens down Emma’s hair as best she can. “I’m sure you’ll see her at the party tonight.”

“Yeah. I hope I do.” Emma swallows. “I’ve missed her.”

“You seem like you’ve had a good time with Shelby.”

Emma grins at her. “I did. I’m still not sure what I want to do about the past, but… I finally felt happy about this trip around someone other than you, which is nice.”

Alyssa scoffs and lightly pushes Emma’s head to one side as she takes a step back. “Gee, thanks.”

“I don’t mean it as a bad thing towards you,” Emma says quickly. “I just don’t want to put everything on you this whole time. Y’know?”

“Yeah, I know. Don’t worry too much about that, though, okay?”

Emma grins and kisses her on the cheek. “I promise. Do I need to know what you’re wearing to this party tonight? Am I supposed to coordinate or something?”

“Do you have a red tie?”

“Yeah?”

“Wear it.”

Emma blinks. “Am I going to survive what you wear tonight?”

“Depends,” Alyssa says with a slow grin.

“…Depends on what?”

Alyssa leans in, smirking as she taps a finger against Emma’s nose. “Do you think I’m attractive, Emma Nolan?”

“That’s a trap. That is a _trap.”_ Emma shakes her head. “You’re not fooling me, Alyssa Greene.”

Alyssa laughs and turns, heading out of the room.

* * *

“Jesus Christ,” Emma mutters in Alyssa’s ear as she meets her outside the country club. “I swear I can act, Lys. You don’t need to murder me to make it believable that we’re dating.”

“Oh? What’s the problem, Em?” Alyssa glances down at her bright red dress and red heels. “This old thing?”

“If you’re trying to give my parents heart attacks, you’ll succeed.”

Alyssa winks at her and straightens her tie. “It’s maybe meant to mess with them a little bit, but that’s just between us.”

Emma scoffs out a laugh. “I think I might love you.”

“Save it for the party, babe, it’s going to be full of jerks we can be passive-aggressive towards.”

Emma shakes her head slowly, an amazed smile on her face. “You’re actually enjoying this. Here I am, afraid you won’t even want to come because my family’s full of assholes, and you’re thinking up ways to toy with them.”

Alyssa shrugs and sets her arms on Emma’s shoulders, linking her hands behind Emma’s neck. “I can see how much they upset you,” she says softly. “If I can make it a little easier, in any way, even if it’s just through a little bit of fun, I’ll do it.”

“I need to pay you more,” Emma murmurs.

“No. Believe me. I’m happy to do this.” Alyssa leans in to kiss her, but hesitates, clearing her throat and taking a step back as she lets her hands fall from Emma’s shoulders. “Ready to go?”

Emma blinks, looking a little confused, but nods. “Yeah. Sure.” She holds her hand out and waits for Alyssa to take it before she turns and leads her into the building.


	5. Chapter 5

Emma takes in a breath as she walks through the cocktail party, trying to ignore the fact that every single person there who recognizes her is glaring at her. “If we stop moving, maybe the dinosaurs won’t be able to see us anymore,” she mumbles as she hands Alyssa a Manhattan and takes one for herself.

Alyssa laughs and pats her arm. “We can hope, darling.”

“To mention again, because it’s vital that you know this, you look _very_ nice in that dress.”

“I’m glad.” Alyssa leans over and kisses her on the cheek before she mumbles in Emma’s ear. “Do you think if you get flustered while I talk to you like this, all these assholes will think I’m telling you things we could do in bed?”

Emma chokes on her drink. “God. Fuck, Alyssa.”

“Sorry,” she whispers, hesitation in her eyes. “Too much?”

“No, it was fine, but you might kill me before the wedding.”

_“Emma!”_

“Speaking of death,” Emma mutters. She turns around, Alyssa still at her side, and watches her mother hurry up to them. “Mom. Planning to ask me why I’m at my own cousin’s wedding?”

“Your father already told me you were here,” Catherine Nolan says, her voice cold. “He also told me that you brought…” Her gaze turns to Alyssa and hardens further. _“…her.”_

“Yes, Mom,” Emma says, as steadily as she can. “This is my girlfriend, Alyssa.”

Mrs. Nolan’s lip curls a bit. “You could have at least had the decency to come here alone, Emma. Not shoved your… life choices… in everyone’s faces.”

Emma feels Alyssa’s grip tighten on her arm, and she tightens her jaw. “Mother,” she says quietly. “I was invited to this event, same as you. And you will be polite to Alyssa, because your problems with me do not involve her. Is that understood?”

“I-”

_“Is that understood?”_

Mrs. Nolan pauses for a moment before scoffing. “I doubt she’ll last that long, anyway. What do you possibly have to offer her?” She gives Alyssa a once-over through narrowed eyes, then turns and walks away.

“I’m sorry,” Emma murmurs, watching her mother leave.

“Emma, look at me.”

She turns her head, and Alyssa presses a sharp kiss to her lips. “Thank you,” she whispers.

“You don’t need to thank me for doing what I _should_ do,” Emma says quietly.

Alyssa takes a sip of her drink, watching her with soft eyes. “Yes. I do.”

* * *

“Lose your date?”

Alyssa turns her head, startled, as Shelby joins her at the edge of the room. “Oh, not really. Emma found her grandmother, so I wanted to give them time to catch up.” She points at a table, where Emma is sitting next to Betsy, laughing, looking happier than Alyssa has seen her since the night they had dinner with Alyssa’s mother.

Shelby grins. “Betsy’s great. She’s been pretty much a grandmother to me from the day I met her.” Her smile falters slightly. “I’d never want to do anything to disappoint her.”

“You say that like you are.” Alyssa winces. “Sorry. That’s invasive.”

“It’s alright.” Shelby shrugs, her grip tight on her wine glass. “I suppose I just… Betsy paid for me to keep going to school after my dad lost all our money. A part of me feels like if I let her down, I’m not paying her back for everything she’s done for me.”

“She doesn’t seem to be the type of person who gets disappointed easily.” Alyssa pats Shelby gently on the back. “And forgive me for assuming, but you don’t seem like the type who would let people down.”

“I’m certainly trying not to,” Shelby murmurs. She tenses, and Alyssa follows her gaze.

Kaylee is walking through the party crowd, escorted by a man their age, both of them greeting the various guests.

“Let me guess,” Alyssa says quietly. “That’s the fiancé?”

Shelby gives a small nod. “Nick.”

“What’s he like?”

“Nice enough.”

“That’s not much of a glowing review from the maid of honor.”

Shelby laughs. “No, no, he’s fine, I promise. I’m just distracted, sorry.”

Alyssa frowns, watching Shelby’s knuckles go white as she holds her glass. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Shelby smiles at her. “It was nice talking to you, Alyssa. If you’ll excuse me, I have some things I need to do.”

She turns and disappears into the crowd, leaving Alyssa standing where she is, baffled.

* * *

“Can I try racquetball?” Alyssa asks, looking over the map of the complex as she lies on their bed the morning after the cocktail party.

“I mean, yeah? I always found it unfun and stressful, but if you’d like to you’re more than welcome to.” Emma finishes tying her tie and sits down next to Alyssa’s feet. “You can ask Shelby if she wants to show you how to play. She always enjoyed it, and I’m sure she’s looking for any excuses she can find to get away from the prep work.”

“At least Shelby’s also not invited to this fancy family lunch. I’m not the only one excluded.”

Emma snorts. “Believe me, you don’t want to go. But I think Grandma specifically is just doing her kids, their spouses, and their kids so that there can’t be any complaining and nitpicking. My mother would probably argue that Nick could go because he can Kaylee are engaged but it’s ‘not right’ that you’re going because we’re ‘only dating’ or something.” She absentmindedly starts skimming her hand up and down Alyssa’s shin. “Don’t take it as disapproval. Trust me.”

She knows it’s mostly a joke, but Alyssa knows from the way her stomach flips that her heart needed to know that Betsy approves of her as Emma’s girlfriend.

It’s not something she can let herself think about, so she sets it aside, in the increasingly growing box in her head where she’s shoving the real thoughts about her fake relationship.

“Try not to get into a fight in the parking lot or something, okay? I don’t want to use the money you gave me for emergencies to have to be used as bail money.”

“You know that you don’t need to save that for emergencies, right? You can like… okay, there’s no souvenirs here, because God knows nobody needs a polo shirt from the country club, but you can gamble or get food or get a Lyft to literally any better town than this one.”

Alyssa laughs and sits up. “I’m okay. I swear.” She sets her chin on Emma’s shoulder. “Have fun.”

“I’m sure I won’t.” Emma kisses her on the cheek and stands up. “I’ll see you later.”

“See you later.”

* * *

“Oh, God, that’s more difficult than it looks,” Alyssa says with a breathless laugh, picking up her water bottle and leaning against the wall of the racquetball court.

Shelby grins at her and leans against the opposite wall. “It’s definitely something that _sounds_ easier than it looks. ‘Hit ball against wall’, simple enough, right? Wrong!”

Alyssa laughs. “Very true. I definitely thought it would easier.”

They’re quiet for a moment, just catching their breath.

“So… you and Emma.” Shelby sets her bottle down and starts fidgeting with her racquet. “How did you meet?”

“I’m sure it sounds cliché,” Alyssa says with a grin and a shrug, “but we met at the hotel she works at. A difficult customer spilled their drink on me while I was there for a conference, and she came to see if I was okay.”

“Sounds like Emma. She cares about the customer.” Shelby smirks. “Some more than others.”

Alyssa flushes, a reaction she isn’t expecting given that the story technically isn’t true. “Yeah, well. She’s good like that.”

“I sure hope she is.” Shelby idly taps the racquet against her palm, a teasing glint in her eyes. “She’d better be treating you right, or I’ll have to have some words with her.”

“Oh, trust me, she treats me _very _well.” Alyssa hesitates, then her mouth decides to take it a step further than her brain knows she should. “In _all_ respects.”

Shelby misses her hand, and the racquet swings down and hits her hard in the thigh. “Ow,” she mutters. “Uhm.” She rubs her leg. “That’s… That’s good. I’m… I’m proud of her for that. She’s… uh… she’s…”

“Good in bed?” Alyssa nods. “Yeah.”

“Oh.” Shelby clears her throat. “Good for Nolan.”

“…Uh huh.” Alyssa bites her lip. “I don’t know why I told you that.” She flushes and covers her face with a hand. “For fuck’s sake. What’s wrong with me?”

Shelby snickers. “You know, Alyssa, I’ve never dated Emma. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Alyssa groans. “I swear I’m not…” She pales and gives Shelby a horrified look. “Oh, God. Please tell me I’m not jealous of you.”

“Well.” Shelby gives her a sympathetic look. “I’m not sure anybody but you can know that.”

“I’m so sorry,” Alyssa whispers. “I don’t mean to…”

“Hey, Alyssa, this is a pretty stressful place to get thrown into. I’m not going to hold a misreading of circumstance against you, okay?” Shelby spins her racquet in her hand. “Besides. I’m glad Nolan’s good at something. She seems happy. Not happy to be here, obviously. But she’s happy with you.” She pauses. “She deserves to be happy.”

“Yeah. She does.” Alyssa rubs the back of her neck. “Sorry, uhm. Thank you for showing me how to play. We should do it again sometime.”

“Agreed.”

“But I, uh, I have to get going.”

Shelby nods, concern in her eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. I just… have somewhere to be.” Alyssa picks up her water bottle and sets her racquet down, then heads out the door.

It’s only when she gets outside that she realizes her hands are shaking.


	6. Chapter 6

“Mom,” Alyssa murmurs into her phone as she stands on a deck just outside one of the casino floors, “I need to tell you something, and I need you not to gloat when I do.”

_“That’s an interesting start to a conversation. What’s going on?”_

“I… I think I’m getting feelings for Emma. Real ones.”

Mrs. Greene pauses. _“Well. What are you going to do about them?”_

Alyssa makes an incredulous noise. “Nothing! Are you insane? She’s my _client.”_

_“Honey, that’s wearing thin. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. It wouldn’t surprise me if the only reason she hasn’t made some sort of genuine move on you is because she’s worried you’ll be upset… because she’s a client. You’re in the same circle for no reason.”_

“You can’t know that, Mom.”

_“Call it mother’s intuition.”_

Alyssa rolls her eyes. “Mom.”

_“Fine. But try not to get yourself hurt just because you won’t take a chance? She’s a good one, Lyssa. I can tell.”_

“Yeah,” Alyssa murmurs. “So can I.”

* * *

Alyssa wakes the morning of April fifth to the sound of screaming in the hallway outside their room. She stumbles to the door, rubbing sleep out of her eyes, hearing bits and pieces like “worthless” and “going to hell” and other jumbled phrases that her brain can’t process.

The door opens, and Emma walks in, looking furious. “That _fucking-”_ She breaks off, her eyes going to Alyssa, and she pauses for a moment as she catches her breath. “I’m sorry,” she murmurs. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s okay.” Alyssa catches Emma’s arm before she can walk past her, setting her fingers on Emma’s jaw and turning her face to get a better look at a red mark on her cheek. “Did he _hit you?”_ she demands, suddenly feeling wide awake.

“No,” Emma says with a tired shake of her head. “He just threw something at me and I missed it.”

“You say that like it’s better. What did he throw at you?”

Emma shrugs. “Who knows? At least it wasn’t a Bible. Probably.” She sits down on the bed, rubbing her jaw.

“Stay there. Don’t you dare leave this room.”

“Or what?” Emma asks, sounding almost amused.

Alyssa squints at her as she picks up the ice bucket. “You don’t want to find out.”

* * *

She bumps into Kaylee in the hallway as she’s on her way back with a bucket of ice. There’s a moment of awkwardness as Alyssa stands there, in sleep shorts and an oversized t-shirt, while Kaylee wears a knee-length dress, casual but still pretty and visibly expensive.

“Sorry,” Alyssa mutters. “I was just… uh…”

“Is Emma okay?” Kaylee asks, her voice almost a whisper.

“I suppose,” Alyssa replies hesitantly, caught off-guard by the question.

“We’re supposed to all go to church.” Kaylee rubs her hands together, looking nervous. “You know, because it’s Sunday. Emma said she hadn’t in years and wasn’t going to start now just to appease her parents. It didn’t go well.”

“Does her father always throw stuff at her when he’s mad?”

Kaylee flinches. “It’s not necessarily _at her._ He just likes to wreck things when he’s pissed off. I broke my arm when I was eight because he got mad when he missed a shot when he took us to mini-golf and he tried to break the club on a bench but accidentally hit me instead.”

“Jesus fucking Christ.” Alyssa grip on the ice bucket tightens. “Are you kidding me?”

“It wasn’t like a common occurrence,” Kaylee says quickly, looking nervous. “We didn’t get hit or anything. I think today’s the only time anything actually made contact with Em, actually. She was always really good at dodging.”

“Kaylee, you’re saying that like it’s normal.”

“For us, it is, Alyssa.” She takes in a small breath. “This family isn’t easy. It isn’t easy to live with, and it’s even harder to get away from. It’s almost impossible to have what you really want.” Kaylee fidgets with the small silver watch on her wrist. “Emma’s one of the bravest people I know for being able to get away. I’m not sure I’ll ever truly have that courage.” She glances at her watch. “I have to go,” she says quietly. “I’ll be late.”

“Right, of course.” Alyssa reaches out one hand to stop her before she leaves. “Kaylee,” she murmurs. “If you need anything, just ask, okay? I’m not just here for Emma.”

Kaylee gives her a strained smile and nods. “Thanks, Alyssa.”

* * *

“I don’t want to talk about it, Lys,” Emma mutters as Alyssa wraps some ice in a washcloth and presses it against Emma’s cheek.

She feels embarrassed. She knows that she shouldn’t, but she had hoped this part of her father’s behavior would be on hold when people could see it, and she hadn’t prepared for the possibility of Alyssa witnessing it.

“This isn’t your fault, you know.” Alyssa gently cards her fingers through Emma’s hair. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I should’ve known better than to antagonize him. He’ll be pissed at me for the rest of the week.”

“Em. He’s your father. You shouldn’t have to cater to his emotions.”

Emma shrugs and looks away. “When they get back from church, Kaylee, Shelby, and I were going to go to the cemetery. Did you… Would you want to come?”

“What’s at the cemetery?”

In a soft voice, she says, “Grandpa.”

* * *

They stand a few feet back, out of the way, waiting as Kaylee stands in front of the gravestone, Shelby next to her with her arm around her shoulders.

“It’s good that Kaylee has someone she can be that close to,” Alyssa comments softly. “Things before weddings can be stressful. You can become an anxious mess if you don’t have someone to lean on.”

“Especially if your only other option is your mother, who thinks the whole event is nothing but a party for her to show off at.”

As Kaylee and Shelby turn away and walk towards them, Alyssa takes a small step back. “I’ll leave you to it.”

Emma pauses for a moment before holding out her hand. “Would you mind?”

Alyssa meets her gaze, hesitating, then takes her hand and lets Emma lead her over to the grave.

They stop in front of it, and Emma is silent for a few seconds before she whispers, “Hi, Grandpa. Sorry it’s been so long. You’d understand. I know I’m usually alone, but this is Alyssa, and you would’ve liked her, so I’m pretty sure it’s okay.” She crouches down and sets her hand on top of the gravestone, bowing her head.

On instinct, Alyssa lightly sets her hand on Emma’s shoulder and simply waits.

They stay there for what feels like ages, the soft spring breeze brushing past them, until Emma lets out a soft sigh and stands back up. She kisses Alyssa on the temple and murmurs, “Thank you.”

Alyssa leans into the contact, her eyes fluttering closed. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I am.”

Emma takes her hand again, squeezing it gently, and leads her to where Shelby and Kaylee are waiting for them.

* * *

Emma disappears after they get back from the cemetery, so Alyssa wanders, trying to decide whether to worry or whether to just find something else to do.

She finds Shelby just outside the hotel, sliding a bag of golf clubs into the back of her rental car.

“Hey. Have you seen Emma?”

“After the day she’s had? Search the bars.” Shelby winces as Alyssa raises an eyebrow. “She’s not a drunk, okay? At least she never was one the last I saw her. It was just always the place we’d hide when we wanted to be alone.”

“If she wants to be alone…”

“Alyssa? I don’t think she’d complain if you went and found her. Trust me.” Shelby leans against her car, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Look, I’ve known Emma for a very long time. She doesn’t get serious about people very often, because she’s been hurt a lot. But you? She’s serious about you.”

Alyssa gives a soft laugh and folds her arms across her chest. “I’m not sure if that’s really all that true.”

“I don’t know the full situation of your relationship. I’ll admit that. But… what happened today? Out in that cemetery? That’s not Emma. She’s never done that. She’s never even let Betsy in on the time she spends at that grave.” Shelby smiles slightly. “You’re special, Alyssa Greene. I hope you have the patience to let Emma prove it to you.”

Alyssa swallows and nods. “I, uh… I should go see if I can find her.”

Shelby grins. “That’s the spirit.” She closes the trunk of her car. “I’m going to get out of here before Mrs. Klein finds m-”

_“Shelby Gonzales!”_

“Oh, God.”

Alyssa laughs. “Good luck.”

* * *

She finds Emma a few hours later, where she should’ve checked first, but didn’t even think to: in the hotel’s own bar.

Emma is seated on a barstool, a shot of whiskey in a glass in front of her. She’s staring blankly, straight ahead, as she downs the whole shot and slides the glass over to the bartender to refill.

Alyssa sits down next to her, and Emma barely acknowledges her presence. “I was looking for you,” she says quietly. “I was worried.”

“Why bother?” Emma mutters.

“Excuse me?”

“Why. Bother?” Emma takes her new shot, idly spinning it between her fingers. “What the hell is the point? I don’t really matter to you. I don’t really matter to anybody.”

Alyssa flinches. “Stop it. How many of those have you had?”

Emma looks down at her glass. “Six? Maybe seven? I think a few of them were doubles. Does that count for more?”

“Well, you definitely have a higher alcohol tolerance than I do. The more you know.” She sets her hand on top of the glass before Emma can lift it. “Come on, Em. That’s enough.”

There’s a moment where Emma keeps holding the glass, then she lets go, her hands trembling. She stares down at them, and Alyssa starts to move the whiskey away from her, when Emma’s sudden whispered words stop her in her tracks.

“They locked me out of the house.”

Alyssa turns her head sharply. “What?”

Emma keeps staring at her hands, her shoulders slumped. “I came home from college during winter break of my junior year, and the locks were changed. All of my stuff that hadn’t been sold or broken had been put into a storage locker. I was told that they would complete payment on my degree so that I wouldn’t be a complete and total disappointment, but I was not allowed back in the house under any circumstances.” She swallows, the shaking in her hands getting worse. “They haven’t really spoken to me as any more than a business investment since.”

“I’m sorry,” Alyssa whispers. She sets her hand on the back of Emma’s neck, gently stroking her fingers through her short hair. “I’m sorry, Emma. You don’t deserve that.”

“I don’t know what I’m trying to prove,” Emma says with a laugh. “They’re never going to accept me. They already stole…” She shakes her head, trailing off and bowing her head again.

“It’s not your fault, Emma,” Alyssa says gently. “It’s not your fault.”

Emma looks up at her, eyes soft and glassy and miserable. She leans forward, clearly to kiss her, and Alyssa suddenly moves her hand from Emma’s shoulder to Emma’s sternum to stop her.

At first, Alyssa isn’t sure why she did it. It’s not like it would be the first time they’ve kissed each other as part of this con.

But as she looks into Emma’s eyes, at the lost look in them, she realizes that it’s because Emma actually _meant_ it.

Not as cover while they’re in this bar.

Her drunken subconscious actually wants to kiss her for _real._

After a moment, where Alyssa’s hand is still pressed firmly against her chest, Emma’s sloshy brain seems to catch up to what she just tried to do.

“I-I…” Emma blinks and leans back. “Uhm…”

Alyssa brings her hand up and strokes her thumb softly against Emma’s cheek. “It’s okay,” she murmurs. She kisses Emma’s other cheek and raises her voice just a bit, loud enough that if anyone finds anything odd about the interaction, they’ll brush it off. “I don’t think I need you kissing me when you’re this wasted, babe. I’ll get drunk by association.” She laughs, trying to keep her awkwardness out of her tone, and gets up off of her barstool. “Come on.” She pats Emma’s shoulder and pulls her, a little unsteady, to her feet. “I think it’s time to go home, Nolan.”

“Home?” Emma echoes, and the hope in her eyes breaks Alyssa’s heart.

“The hotel room, honey.”

“Oh… Right…”

Alyssa kisses her on the cheek again, gentle, and leads her out of the bar.

* * *

When they get back to their room, Alyssa sits Emma down on the edge of the bed and starts to take her shoes off for her.

“Why are you doing this?” Emma asks, her voice soft as she watches with a dull look in her eyes.

“Well, we _are_ dating,” Alyssa jokes.

“I’m serious, Alyssa. I’m not worth it.”

Alyssa sets her shoes aside and kicks off her flats next to them before beginning to undo Emma’s tie. “You are worth it,” she whispers. “I know you don’t believe that. I know you have good reason not to believe that. But Emma, in the little time I’ve known you, you’ve proven yourself to be as good-hearted and good-natured as a person can be. You’re talented, you’re funny, you’re strong, you’re _stubborn as hell._ And… And, well, you’re gorgeous and a damn good kisser, too.”

She watches the blush curl up Emma’s cheeks before she continues.

“You’re not worth them, Emma, because you’re worth far more. You _deserve_ far more. I’m sorry that you’ve never had anybody who could give it to you.”

“It’s hard,” Emma says quietly. “People in my circles hear ‘Nolan’ and they jump straight to ‘money’. That’s all they ever want from me. I’d be more than willing to give it to them if I had any to give.”

Alyssa’s brow furrows. “I thought…”

“I have the money my grandmother put into trust. It’s enough for something like this. It’s enough to pay you. It’s enough that if my day job ever blew up in my face I’d be okay for a little while. But… uhm… my actual Nolan inheritance?” She closes her eyes briefly as Alyssa starts unbuttoning her vest. “My parents took it from me.”

Alyssa’s fingers still. “How could they possibly take it from you?”

Emma opens her eyes again and gives her a humorless look. “Morality clause, put in a few generations ago. If you might use the money for immoral purposes, it stays with the previous heir. Three guesses what my father declared is immoral.”

Alyssa feels an ache of pain straight through her heart. “Oh, Emma.”

“If you can believe it, they had the audacity to make me pay them back for my college degree on top of it.” Emma lets out a short, sharp laugh. “Though I guess at this point, there’s very little about my parents that you wouldn’t believe.” She wobbles a bit, her eyes still glassy, and she mumbles, “God, I’m so tired.”

“I know, honey. I know.” Alyssa cups Emma’s face in her hands and kisses her gently on the forehead. “Let’s get you to bed, okay?”

“Alyssa,” Emma whispers, her gaze distant.

“Yeah?”

“I think I’m in love with you.”

Alyssa’s stomach flips, but she just rests her head against Emma’s and closes her eyes. “Let’s talk about it in the morning. Okay?”

Emma gives a small nod, her eyes closed. “Okay,” she whispers.


	7. Chapter 7

Alyssa steps out of the bathroom, freshly showered, finishing buttoning her shirt, to find Emma sitting on the edge of the bed, staring down at her hands.

“Em?”

She glances up briefly, murmuring a short, “hi,” before her head lowers again.

“What’s going on?”

Emma laughs dryly, her thumb tracing the lines in her palm. “Where do I even start?” She pauses for a moment. “I need to apologize to you. For what happened last night.”

“You don’t need to apologize for that,” Alyssa says quietly.

“Yes, I do.” Emma looks up again, actually meeting her eyes, and Alyssa can see the same pain there from the night before. “I was drunk, and I was stupid, and neither of those things excuses the fact that I tried to kiss you. T-To… To _really_ kiss you.”

Alyssa freezes, the confirmation of what she had suspected washing over her.

“You should go.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

Emma swallows, and Alyssa can see tears in her eyes. “I shouldn’t have put you through this. It was a mistake. You’ll still be paid. I swear. But you should leave before this gets any worse for you than it already is, Lys.”

Alyssa is quiet for a moment, her jaw tight. She takes a few steps closer before stopping, her hands carefully interlaced in front of her. “Did you mean it?”

Emma pales. “What?”

“What was it that made you try to kiss me, Emma? Was it just the alcohol? Or is it something that you still want to do?”

She watches Emma swallow again, looking scared, her hands clenching the fabric of her pants. “I-I…”

“I won’t be upset regardless of the answer,” Alyssa says. “I promise you, Em. It’s okay.”

There’s a pause, then Emma sighs. “I meant it,” she whispers. “All the alcohol did was take down the walls I’ve been putting up to… to stop myself from thinking about you that way.”

Alyssa closes the gap between them, until she’s standing directly in front of Emma. “What if I don’t want you to stop?”

Emma’s eyes widen. “What?”

“You’re more than a job,” she murmurs. “You’re so much more than that. I think you were from the very first day. I’ve never met someone like you. I’d be a fool not to fall in love.” Alyssa takes in a small breath, her hands clenching at her sides. “I don’t want your money, Em. I just want you.”

Emma stares at her for a long moment, then grabs her hand and tugs her forward. Alyssa’s knees hit Emma’s and she falls on top of Emma, her momentum only slowed by the one hand Emma’s using to pull her with and the other coming up to cup her jaw.

Alyssa’s brain goes blank the first time Emma truly kisses her. She lets out a small whimper, and Emma flips them, the kiss turning all tongue and teeth as her hands intertwine with Alyssa’s and press them against the mattress.

“I can’t really remember everything that clearly from last night,” Emma says, breathless, as she wanders to Alyssa’s throat. “Did I blurt out that I’m probably in love with you? Like a big drunk idiot?”

Alyssa laughs, a sound that’s cut off with a gasp as Emma’s teeth brush against her skin. “You did. I won’t hold you to it.”

Emma hovers over her, a glint of confidence in her eyes that Alyssa hasn’t seen before. “Alyssa. I’m falling in love with you.”

Alyssa slips one of her hands out of Emma’s grip and brushes her thumb against Emma’s cheek. “Emma. I’m falling in love with you, too.” She grins and presses a quick kiss to Emma’s nose. “Now kiss me senseless, before we have to go out there and put up with your family.”

Emma mirrors her grin. “Absolutely.”

* * *

“Let me be perfectly clear,” Emma murmurs as they walk into another cocktail party, Alyssa’s arm tucked into Emma’s, tie and dress matched blue. “Any time previously that I said you were hot in your outfits? You were damn hot in your outfits.”

Alyssa smiles slowly. “And what about today?”

Emma lets out a soft whistle. “Beyond description.”

She ignores the cold glares from Mrs. Klein and Mr. Nolan as they walk past. “You’re adorable. And hot.” Alyssa shifts her hand, taking Emma’s and squeezing. “Do you think this will be weird?” she murmurs. “Trying to have a new relationship while faking having one that’s established?”

“I don’t think so.” Emma stops, setting her hands on Alyssa’s hips. “Maybe I’m wrong. But I feel like it won’t matter at all.” She sets her forehead against Alyssa’s. “I care about you enough that I doubt my heart could even tell the difference between the two.”

Alyssa sets her hand against Emma’s cheek. “Look at that,” she murmurs. “I didn’t even need to get you drunk to make you honest and sappy.”

Emma blushes. “Oh, shut up.”

“Are you going to make me?”

“I could,” Emma growls under her breath, making Alyssa shudder.

“Oh, girls, I’m so glad you stuck around.”

Alyssa steps back, flustered, at the sudden sound of Betsy’s voice. Emma blinks at her for a moment, dazed, before she focuses on her grandmother.

“Grandma. Uh. Hi.”

Betsy puts her hand on Emma’s jaw, holding her in place to look at the small bruise on her cheek. There’s rage in her eyes, and it makes Alyssa know with absolute certainty, without any shadow of doubt, whose side she’s on in this family. “Did Patrick do this?”

“It was an accident,” Emma says quietly.

“Emma Nolan, that is not what I asked you.” Betsy frowns sternly at her. “I asked Kaylee what happened, and she told me that it wasn’t hers to say. That’s the exact same thing she used to say when you were kids and she knew you’d be embarrassed if she admitted that your father is a selfish little bastard.”

_“Grandma!”_ Emma stammers out half of a laugh, looking startled.

“I’m not wrong.” Betsy huffs and folds her arms. “I swear, I don’t know how I managed to have both of my children turn out to be so terrible.”

“How much have you had to drink, Grandma?” Emma asks, glancing around nervously as Alyssa tries to hide a laugh.

“Not enough for this lot, I’ll tell you that.” Betsy grips Alyssa’s shoulder. “I hope you’re taking care of our girl.”

Alyssa smiles. “I’m certainly trying to, ma’am.”

“Good.” Betsy taps her once on the nose. “I knew I liked you.” She turns and walks towards Shelby, who’s chatting with Nick’s best man, Kevin Shields, and Kevin’s twin sister, Hayden.

“God,” Emma groans, covering her face with a hand. “Are my apologies getting old? I can start buying you apology cards to spice them up.”

“Oh, stop,” Alyssa says with a laugh, kissing her on the cheek. “I think it’s cute. She loves you. I’m really glad it’s not your _entire_ family.”

Emma sighs. “You really are enjoying this, aren’t you?”

Alyssa grins and rests her chin on Emma’s shoulder. “Yes. I really am.”

* * *

“Thanks for driving with me, Emma,” Kaylee says, drumming her fingers nervously on the steering wheel. “Shelby’s stuck with my mother again, and I really don’t think I trust myself to do anything alone right now.”

Emma frowns and looks at her cousin, watching the anxious twitch in her jaw. “Are you okay, Kaylee? You’re kind of scaring me.”

She gives a high-pitched laugh that sounds fake. “What do you mean? I’m fine.”

“Yeah, that wasn’t believable.” Emma loosens her tie a bit, turning back to look straight ahead so Kaylee doesn’t feel like she’s staring. “I barely see you with Nick unless it’s at an event, and when it _is_ an event, you’re suddenly all over him.”

“Of course I am. I love him. We’re getting married,” Kaylee says, almost mechanical.

“Kaylee,” Emma whispers. “We were best friends once. I’m your cousin. If something’s wrong, if our family is forcing you into something, you can tell me. You can trust me. Maybe I can’t fix it, but I can at least do whatever I can to help?”

Kaylee swallows and tightens her grip on the wheel. “Everything is fine, Emma,” she says quietly. “I don’t need help. Everything is under control.”

Emma is silent for a moment. “I hope it is,” she says, her voice soft.

* * *

Emma sits in her chair, her brain glazing over, listening to her uncle drone in the most endless speech possible. She feels her phone buzz in her pocket, and she glances under the table to check it.

** _ALYSSA:_ ** _ If we stab each other with the butter knives we won’t die and we can still leave._

She covers her laugh with a cough and still earns a glare from her father, sipping her water until he looks away from her before she responds.

** _EMMA:_ ** _ Sadly, I think they’d wait until they were finished before they called an ambulance, so we’d just suffer twofold._

** _ALYSSA:_ ** _ If you’re not in the wedding, why do you have to go to the rehearsal rehearsal dinner anyway?_

** _EMMA:_ ** _ At this point I’m pretty sure it’s just punishment._

She watches Kaylee and Nick, sitting next to each other looking as bored as she probably does, until she feels her phone buzz again.

** _ALYSSA:_ ** _ I can show you some better excitement later in our room if you’d like._

Emma coughs loudly and grabs her water again.

“If you don’t want to bother to pay attention,” Mr. Nolan says coldly, “you can just leave.”

“Sorry,” Emma rasps. “I, uh, something in my throat. Better duck out so it’s not a disruption. C’mon, Lys.”

She grabs Alyssa’s hand and heads out the door.

As they head back to their room, her phone vibrates one more time.

** _SHELBY:_ ** _ Lucky bastard._

* * *

Alyssa closes and locks the door behind them. “We don’t really need to do anything. I don’t want to push you into something. I just thought it would make you lau-”

Her back hits the door a millisecond before Emma kisses her, hard and fast, her hands surprisingly gentle as they rest on Alyssa’s hips.

“Lys,” she murmurs, her touch trembling, twitching a bit firmer, on the verge of letting go of her control but just barely holding onto it. “I want you.”

Alyssa stares into Emma’s eyes, her breathing ragged. She reaches up and starts to undo Emma’s tie. “I want you, too.”

Emma kisses her again. “Is that a yes, then?”

She laughs, getting the tie all the way off and tossing it somewhere before she starts unbuttoning Emma’s vest. “It’s absolutely a yes, Emma Nolan.”


	8. Chapter 8

Emma stretches, slow and sleepy, and wraps her arms around Alyssa’s waist. “Morning,” she mumbles.

“Morning,” Alyssa rasps. She reaches back, stroking her fingers through Emma’s hair.

“Would it be rude to feel gloaty about having sex with a hot woman in my homophobic father’s hotel?”

Alyssa laughs and rolls over so she’s face to face with Emma. “I promise I won’t take offense.” She presses a kiss to the tip of Emma’s nose. “I like you like this,” she murmurs. “I mean, I like you regardless, but I really like you like this.”

“Like what?”

“Happy.”

Emma’s expression softens. “I haven’t felt it in a while, you know. It’s because of you.”

Alyssa shakes her head. “You had to want it, Em, or we never would’ve gotten here. Maybe I helped you along, but you’re the one who took the steps.”

“I was afraid,” Emma admits, her fingers skimming down Alyssa’s back. “You told me about what previous clients had done, what they had expected of you, and I didn’t… I didn’t want you to think I was the same. I wanted to be more than that.”

“You were always going to be more than that, I think. Even if we never admitted to ourselves what was really going on, I don’t think there was any way I was going to be able to leave this job without you impacting my heart.” Alyssa sets her hand against Emma’s cheek and kisses her slowly. “You matter. You matter so much it’s almost scary.”

“Good.” Emma kisses her, nipping at her lip a little to make her giggle. “I just want you so your mom can replace mine.”

“Oh, God,” Alyssa groans, burying her face against Emma’s collarbone as she laughs. “My mother is going to have a field day with this. She adores you.”

Emma grins. “I’m glad. I really like her. She has really good priorities for safety.”

“No. No. No, I can’t do this. You can’t team up with her. Please. I beg you. You have to be normal.”

Emma snickers and rolls Alyssa onto her back, getting on top of her. “I’m the disinherited heir of a multi-billion-dollar hotel and casino empire whose hobbies include fencing and playing guitar without a pick. I don’t think it’s possible for me to be normal, honey.”

“You make a fair point.” Alyssa traces a finger up Emma’s spine. “Are you going to play at that golf game your uncle set up for today?”

“I kind of feel like I’m obligated to, unfortunately. I haven’t played since I graduated high school, so it’ll probably end badly.” Emma raises an eyebrow. “Were you planning to?”

“Perhaps.” Alyssa smiles. “I’ll probably do better than you.”

“Are you joking? _Golf? _That’s the sport you’re good at?”

“One of my clients paid me with a membership to a golf course he owns near my place.”

“Who? I’ll buy his damn golf course,” Emma mutters, her eyes narrow as she looks away with a frown.

“Babe, you have no money and I’m a lesbian. I’m pretty sure you don’t need to worry about him.”

“That doesn’t mean _he_ knows that,” Emma grumbles.

Alyssa laughs and kisses the corner of her mouth before gently pushing her off of her and getting out from under the covers. “We’re a mess. You should’ve seen me spiraling into jealousy of Shelby.”

Emma stares at her. “God. _Shelby?_ I’d rather die. I love her, but it’s like a sister.”

“Noted.” Alyssa gives her a sheepish smile as Emma starts to get out of bed too. “For what it’s worth, I was right when I told her you’re good in bed.”

Emma’s foot gets tangled in the sheets and she trips, sprawling on the floor as she yelps. “You told her _what?_ But… we hadn’t… we… you…”

“It seemed like a good idea at the time?”

_“Alyssa!”_

Alyssa snickers as she bolts for the bathroom, Emma scrambling to get up off of the ground to follow.

* * *

“What did you say your last name is again?” Mr. Nolan asks, looking at Alyssa as she scribbles onto her scorecard.

“Greene, sir. Three e’s, two in the middle one at the end.”

“And you’re _not_ from a wealthy family?”

“No. I have my own money, but I grew up in a pretty middle-class neighborhood.”

“Hm.” Mr. Nolan gives her a curious look. “How did you end up playing golf?”

“Everybody needs a hobby,” Alyssa says with a polite smile.

“You’re rather good. Far better than my fool of a daughter.”

Alyssa glances over at Emma, who’s chatting casually with Shelby as she leans on a golf bag. “She doesn’t get a lot of practice. I like to use it as my alone time, and she respects that.” Her voice takes on an edge. “She respects _me._ That’s more than I can say for some people.”

Mr. Nolan narrows his eyes. “I don’t disrespect _you,_ Ms. Greene. I simply don’t agree with the choices you or Emma make for yourselves.”

Alyssa laughs. “It’s funny that you think those are different things.”

* * *

Alyssa spends her day relaxing by the hotel pool, reading a book in the warm spring sun, while Emma gets trapped helping Shelby with some sort of errand for Kaylee’s mother.

“How are you enjoying your stay so far?”

She looks up, surprised as Nick takes the chair next to her, giving her a polite smile as he puts his sunglasses on. “Oh. Uh. It’s been fine.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt. We just hadn’t really spoken, and I wanted to properly meet the woman who stole Emma Nolan’s heart.” Nick grins. “I’m glad someone did. She deserves it.”

“…Yes, she does.” Alyssa pauses. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I realized that you and Emma really knew each other.”

“Oh, sorry, yeah, I went to school with her, Kaylee, and Shelby. Kaylee and I dated in high school.”

“High school sweethearts,” Alyssa says. “Cute.”

Nick hesitates before nodding, his smile wide. “Absolutely. I really love her.”

Alyssa raises an eyebrow. “I would certainly hope so.”

He laughs like she told the funniest joke in the world, patting the arm of her chair. After a long moment, the sound trails off, and he says, “Do you think you and Emma will get married someday?”

“Uhm. I, uh…” Alyssa flushes and clears her throat. “I don’t know. I think I _would,_ if it was something we decided we wanted to do.”

“That’s good.” He lowers his sunglasses, giving her a genuine look. “I’m glad you’re both happy,” he says, a sincerity in his voice that she isn’t expecting. He pauses, then pushes his sunglasses back up and grins again. “It was nice talking to you, Alyssa.”

“Yeah. Nice talking to you, Nick.”

“I’ll let you get back to your reading.” He stands and walks away quickly.

Alyssa watches him go with a frown, concerns prickling at her thoughts.

* * *

She walks through a hallway of the country club, looking for Emma, and finds her when she follows the soft sound of piano music.

Emma is sitting at the piano in a dining area closed until nighttime, playing a slow tune with her eyes closed.

Alyssa stands just inside the room, watching, until the music fades away and Emma sighs softly. “I didn’t know I’d find you in here,” she says.

“Kaylee and Shelby went to play tennis, so I thought I’d take an hour to breathe,” Emma murmurs.

“What were you playing?” she asks in a low voice.

“It’s called ‘Loch Lomond’. My grandfather’s mother was Scottish; she taught it to him and he taught it to me.” Emma closes the cover over the keys and brushes her fingers over the smooth black wood. “It can be played faster, but I always liked it better as a slow song.”

“I like it.” Alyssa leans against the piano. “Is there anything you aren’t good at?” she teases gently.

“Being straight?”

She snorts. “Okay, I walked into that one.” Alyssa cards her fingers through Emma’s hair. “You’re impressive, that’s all.”

“Hardly. I’m just showmanship.” Emma looks up at her, a soft look in her eyes. “I learn things because I like them, or because it makes me feel useful, even if it’s not a particularly useful skill. There’s not much more to it than that.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course you can.”

Alyssa bites her lip. “After everything your family has done to you. Why stay in the hotel business at all? You’re a hotel manager for a rival chain, but after growing up around these people, after the way your parents treated you in college, I don’t know how you can stand it. Especially with how talented you are at other things.”

Emma shrugs. “Truthfully? I love it. I know I’ve joked a bit about customers being inconvenient, and I sometimes get a bitter taste in my mouth because of my history, but… I always saw this business the way my grandparents saw it. I just want to help people feel welcome, feel at home, when they’re away from their home. To have some fun when they decide to go somewhere to relax. I love my job, Alyssa. I loved it long before I ever had it.” She sighs quietly. “Do I wish that I could do it for the company I grew up in? Of course I do. But I’m not going to let that ruin the one thing I’ve always wanted to do.”

Alyssa leans down and kisses her, soft and slow. “I’m sorry you can’t have it,” she murmurs. “But I’m glad you’re able to at least continue however you can.”

“I’m glad you can understand,” Emma whispers. “I wasn’t sure anybody would.”

“You’re doing what you love. If anybody is going to understand that, Em, it’s me. I’m doing this job because it’s the best way to continue trying to do what _I_ love. One day, maybe I will be able to make a career out of dancing. Maybe not. But I’m not just going to give up for the sake of money.”

Emma smiles and lifts Alyssa’s hand, kissing her knuckles. “Good. I would never want you to give up, at least not unless you decided you were ready to. If I need to be the only one making actual money for the rest of our lives, so be it.” She blinks, confused, as her words settle between them. “Uh…”

Alyssa stares at her for a moment before kissing her. “Don’t,” she whispers. “Don’t apologize, don’t take it back. I know what you mean, okay?”

She kisses Alyssa back. “Thank God, because there was no way I was going to be able to come up with a way to recover from that.”

Alyssa laughs. “Do you think we can find a room in here to make out in? We already got to gloat about the hotel; we might as well gloat about the country club, too.”

“I love the way you think.” Emma grabs Alyssa’s hand. “Come on. I know a room that’s pretty much always empty. Nobody will find us.”

“Perfect.” Alyssa grins and kisses Emma on the cheek. “Lead the way.”

* * *

Emma drags Alyssa by the hand, trying not to laugh, and pushes open the door of a small, mostly unused storage area.

She stops so fast that Alyssa slams into her back, nudging her a bit further into the room.

Kaylee is sitting on a table, Shelby standing between her legs. Shelby’s tennis shirt is pushed up to her chest as one of Kaylee’s hands wanders her abs and the other fists in her hair. Shelby’s hands are on Kaylee’s thighs, one pushing up a leg of Kaylee’s tennis shorts. They’re kissing so fiercely that they don’t even hear the door open, but they can’t miss the quiet _thud_ of Alyssa tripping into Emma or Emma’s knee slamming into a nearby chair.

Kaylee and Shelby jump apart as if they’ve been burned. Shelby yanks her shirt down, her eyes wide, and Kaylee presses herself further back on the table, pale. Shelby shifts in front of her, almost protective, a hand gently resting on Kaylee’s hip.

“Uhm,” Emma stammers. She pulls Alyssa a little further into the room and shuts the door behind them. “What the _fuck?”_

Kaylee swallows and holds up her hands, staring at her cousin. “I-I… I can explain.”


	9. Chapter 9

“Emma, stop. Please just stop and listen to me.”

“How long?” Emma asks as she stops short and whirls around on her heel, giving Kaylee a hard stare. “How long have you been screwing our best friend?”

“Keep your voice down,” Kaylee hisses, looking around.

Emma gestures wildly. “We’re in the middle of a damn empty field, Kaylee. It’s a golf course. Nobody is going to hear us.  _ How long?” _

Kaylee bites her lip. “It’s not that simple.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“No. But it’s… I just need… Please, Emma, let me explain all of this.”

Emma snorts out a laugh. “Yeah? Have you explained it to your fucking fiance?”

“Yes.”

The silence that follows is so heavy that they just stare at each other for a long moment, Emma taking a few steps back. “What?”

Kaylee closes her eyes and bows her head. “It’s fake.”

“...What?”

“It’s all fake, okay?” Kaylee looks back up, her voice quivering. “The wedding, the engagement, my whole relationship with Nick. It’s all a lie. Dating him in high school was real, but so was our breakup. We stayed friends, and that’s all we’ve been since.”

Emma blinks. “But you’re  _ marrying him.” _

Kaylee gives a low, humorless laugh. “Emma. Come on.”

After another long pause, Emma says, “The money. The inheritance. You won’t get yours if you’re gay.”

“I’m bisexual, actually, but the difference won’t matter in the long run.”

“You would still end up like me,” Emma says softly.

Kaylee winces. “Yes.” She shoves her hands into her pockets and looks away, a miserable tension in her shoulders. “If I marry Nick, I can get my inheritance out of limbo and put it somewhere my parents can’t touch it. It wouldn’t take long. Maybe just a year or so. Then we can just get an easy no-strings-attached divorce, and I can be with the person I really love.”

“Are you insane? Do you really think it will be that simple?”

“It’s worked this far.”

Emma laughs. “Yeah, and I just caught you  _ making out in the country club. _ How stupid are you two?”

“It’s just been… hard. Okay?” Kaylee rubs the back of her neck. “My mother is haunting Shelby all the time for ‘maid of honor’ stuff, and I’ve barely been able to spend any time with her. We haven’t spent this much time without much physical contact in years. I’m losing my mind trying to do this without her. I can hardly sleep without her beside me.”

“You probably should have thought of that before you decided to do this, Kaylee. You’re going to tear yourself apart, for… for what, the  _ money? _ None of it matters. They don’t give a damn about us. They don’t care if we’re happy, if we’re healthy, if we’re safe. All they care about is money and reputation.”

“I know it doesn’t matter. But I  _ want it, _ Em. I want everything they owe me. I’m not going to let them cheat me out of what’s rightfully mine. I won’t do it.”

“And Shelby?” Emma rubs the back of her neck. “You’re making her stand next to you and watch you marry a man she knows you’re not in love with. For money.”

“It’s just the plan. She knows what’s going on. We worked on it together. Once Nick agreed to it, agreed to help me get out from our family’s control, all we had to do was go for it. We’re so close.” Kaylee takes in a deep breath. “I love her, Em. I think I always have, even when we were kids, even before I knew I could love a woman. I love her, and I want to marry her, but I can’t. I can’t, because they’ll never let me. You know they won’t.”

“You’re right,” Emma admits. “If they find out you feel this way about Shelby, they’ll throw you out without a single question.”

Kaylee takes a few steps forward. “Please,” she begs. “Please, Em. I know we haven’t been close in a while, and I know this is a lot to put on you. But please. Let me do this.”

Emma is quiet for a long pause, studying Kaylee’s face. “I was alone,” she says softly. “Back then, when we were in college, I was alone. Did you… this whole time, did you know? That you’re bi?”

Kaylee swallows and nods, tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry,” she whispers.

“You didn’t need to out yourself to me, Kay. I would never demand that of you. I just…” Emma sighs. “I just wish I wasn’t alone.”

“I’ll find a way to make it up to you, I will, I promise, but I-”

She breaks off with a choked sob as Emma grabs her and pulls her into a tight hug. Kaylee clutches at Emma’s shirt and breaks, crying into her cousin’s shoulder.

“I was alone,” Emma murmurs. “I’m not going to make you do this alone, too, okay?”

Kaylee hugs her tighter, shaking as she cries harder. “I don’t know what to do. I-I don’t know what to do. The stress is… I-I… It’s killing me, I can’t…”

Emma closes her eyes. “It’s gonna be alright, Kay. I promise. It’ll work out. I can’t say that I approve of your methods, but I’m not going to let them hurt you or Shelby. I swear I won’t. I’m not letting them do this shit to another one of us.”

“I’m sorry,” Kaylee whispers. “I’m sorry we failed you so badly. I was so damn scared.”

“I know. I understand.” Emma pulls out of the hug and grips Kaylee’s shoulders. “But it’s not going to be like that this time, right? We can have each other’s backs like we used to. The three of us, all together. Alyssa will help, too, I’m sure of it.”

Kaylee takes in a deep breath. “Thank you.”

“Thank me when this is over.”

Kaylee lets out a strained laugh. “Emma?”

“Yeah?”

“I… I’m scared. Still scared, even after all this time.” Kaylee swallows. “Does it ever go away?”

Emma’s eyes soften. “Yeah. Sometimes.”

“When?”

Emma gives her a playful grin and hands her a handkerchief out of her pocket before turning her and beginning to steer her back towards the country club. “Pay attention next time you kiss the woman you love, Klein. You’ll feel it.”


	10. Chapter 10

Alyssa sits in a chair, watching as Shelby paces the room nervously.

“You really think that you can stand there and watch Kaylee marry someone else?” she asks quietly.

“I have to,” Shelby mutters.

“That’s not really an answer.”

Shelby gives a dry laugh. “What do you want me to say here?”

Alyssa leans back in her seat. “I just want to understand why you’re putting up with this.”

“I love her. I’d wait a lifetime for her. It’s really that simple.”

“Nothing about this is simple, Shelby.”

Shelby bites her lip and pauses her pacing, looking down at the floor. “I met Emma through the fencing team. You know that. We were… God, I guess we would’ve been eleven? I spent most of my time after that with her family or Kaylee’s or with the two of them at Betsy’s.” She shakes her head and closes her eyes. “It was always the three of us,” she whispers. “I’ve… I’ve been a horrible friend. How could I… I understand why Kaylee couldn’t bring herself to tell Emma the truth, and I would never betray her like that, but I… I wish I had told her at the very least that I had slept with her cousin. At  _ minimum _ she deserved that much from me.”

“If you’re… If you’re not straight…”

“Bi,” Shelby mutters.

Alyssa nods. “If you’re bi, why couldn’t you at least… I don’t know. Why didn’t you even  _ call _ Emma once after her parents disinherited her?”

“If I did and they ever found out, they’d never let me  _ near _ Kaylee again,” Shelby says, a quiver in her voice. “I-I… I couldn’t risk that.”

“Wouldn’t she leave for you? You’re both adults, Shelby.”

“Yeah.” Shelby rubs her hands over her face a few times. “Like you said, though. It’s not simple.”

Before Alyssa can ask another question, the door opens, and Kaylee and Emma walk in. Kaylee’s face is red like she’s been crying, and she crosses the room to give Shelby a firm hug.

“What is it, Kay?” Shelby whispers gently. She leans back and takes her face in her hands. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.” Kaylee gives her a soft kiss. “Can we go back to the hotel?”

“Yeah, of course.” Shelby hugs her for another long moment, then nods at both Emma and Alyssa and leads her out of the room.

Emma is quiet until she says, “Did Shelby talk to you?”

“Yes.”

“So you know what’s going on?”

“Yes.”

“They’re fools.” Emma rubs at her eyes and sits down next to Alyssa, sighing and resting her elbows on her knees. “This will never end well. Not in my family. The moment Kaylee tries to divorce Nick, her mother will find out about it, and our family will do everything possible to force her to stay with him.”

“Why would they do that if they don’t know she’s leaving him for Shelby?”

Emma scoffs. “Because it would  _ look bad  _ for her to get divorced after only a year.” She rubs the back of her neck and sighs again. “It doesn’t matter that Nick is in on this and trying to help. He’ll get dragged into the mess. My family will do whatever it takes to bully Kaylee into staying right where she is if she signs those papers and walks down that aisle.”

Alyssa stands up and moves behind her, setting her hands on Emma’s shoulders and gently starting to massage the tension out of them. “And what about you?”

“Me? I’m certainly not going to make her stay with someone she doesn’t love.”

“That’s not what I mean, Em.” She strengthens her movements, making Emma arch back into her touch a bit and let out a soft groan. “You lost everything, but you’re… at least, I  _ think _ you’re happy. Kaylee going through all of this to keep the money you don’t need.”

“I’m happy,” Emma murmurs. “But part of that is because of you. I’m not sure if I was  _ really _ happy before you.” She leans back into Alyssa further. “I’m not sure Kaylee told me the whole truth. But regardless, even if it  _ was _ the money… I’m not exactly ecstatic that neither of them spoke to me over the years, especially if they understood. I’d like to know why. But God, Alyssa, it’s ten million dollars. She could get away from our family for good without any worry about them with that kind of money. I can’t blame her for wanting it.”

Alyssa’s hands still, and Emma lets out a faint whine at the loss. “Hold on. Your parents stole  _ ten million dollars _ from you?”

“Yes.”

“Jesus Christ, Emma.”

“They’re never going to give it back. I’ve decided not to bother stressing over it.” Emma gives her a thin grin. “It’s only a few million, right? What can that buy? A few houses? Plenty of food? Maybe a guitar if I want to treat myself?”

Alyssa laughs and kisses the top of her head. “You’re an idiot.”

Emma doesn’t respond, frowning slightly, staring at nothing.

“Baby? Is everything okay?”

“Huh? Oh. Sorry. I just thought of something, but it doesn’t matter. At least, I don’t think it does.”

“What is it?”

Emma shakes her head. “Let me think on it a bit?”

“Sure.” Alyssa kisses her, hard and passionate. “Any interest in going back to our room and picking up where we left off earlier?”

“God,” Emma groans. “Please.”

* * *

Alyssa wakes in their bed in the morning to find herself alone.

She opens her eyes, confused, and squints at the small sheet of paper resting on Emma’s pillow.

_ Darling, _

_ My grandmother wanted to go out to the cemetery this morning, and I didn’t want her to be alone. It was too early to wake you. I’m not sure if I’ll be back in time to see you before the party tonight, but I’ll meet you there. _

_ -E.N. _

Alyssa laughs quietly at the soft formality of it, then sets it on her nightstand and gets out of bed.

* * *

Alyssa walks through the doors of yet another party and is struck by how much more casual and relaxed this one feels. The music is an upbeat acoustic guitar, the alcohol isn’t restricted to fancy cocktails, and more people are laughing and joking around with each other.

Shelby waves at her and walks over to her, handing her a beer. “This is the only party I’ve been looking forward to,” she says with a grin. “This is the one Betsy was in charge of.”

“Ah.” Alyssa laughs. “Is that why it doesn’t feel pretentious and like it was set up by an egomaniacal jackass?”

“That’s exactly right!”

“Have you seen Emma? I’m supposed to meet her here.”

Shelby takes a sip of her drink and nods, pointing over towards the back wall. “She’s hanging out with the band.”

Alyssa follows where Shelby is indicating, and realizes that the guitar music is being played by her own girlfriend.

Emma is standing with the guitar on a strap over her shoulder, playing the song with the strings and occasional percussive taps on the wooden body of the instrument, laughing as one of Nick’s groomsmen, Greg, tries to keep up with her on his own guitar.

Alyssa just stands and watches, her heart lightening with every moment she sees a genuinely happy smile on Emma’s face. Once the song ends, Emma takes the guitar off and hands it back over to one of the band members, shaking his hand and saying something to him that looks like some sort of thanks.

As she turns and joins the crowd, Alyssa meets her. “Well, well. When you said that you play guitar without a pick, I thought you were joking.”

Emma blushes. “Oh. Well. I wasn’t.”

“I liked that song. What is it?”

“It’s called ‘Irish Jig/Drifting’.” Emma shrugs. “Just something to play.”

Alyssa leans against her and presses a kiss to her lips. “You should play it just for me sometime.”

Emma grins and kisses her back. “Gladly.”

Alyssa turns her head in time to see Shelby stare as Kaylee enters the room on Nick’s arm. “Do you think they’ll be okay?” she asks softly.

“Do you want the honest answer or the hopeful one?” Emma mutters.

She sighs. “Yeah. That’s what I’m afraid of.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the song Emma is playing on her guitar: https://youtu.be/lIx-VmVf5ps


	11. Chapter 11

Alyssa groans softly, her fingers threading in Emma’s hair, pulling her deeper into the kiss.

She tugs at Emma’s sleepshirt, pulling it up her back, but before she can actually start to undress her, their lock beeps and the door to their room swings open.

“Jesus, what the… fuck is…” Emma sits up and grabs her glasses, putting herself between Alyssa and the door.

Patrick Nolan stands in the doorway, pointedly looking at the ceiling. “Get out of bed.”

“What?” Emma rubs at her eyes beneath her glasses. “Dad, what the absolute-”

_ “Get your ass out of bed and put clothes on!” _

“Are you out of your fucking mind? Get out of my room!”

“It is Sunday. I am not allowing you to stay in my hotel and sin when you should be-”

Emma stands up and walks over to him, adjusting her shirt as she goes. “Dad. I’m not having this argument with you again. Get out of my damn room.”

He glares at her and raises his hand as if to slap her, and Alyssa grabs her phone. “I swear to God, if you touch her, I don’t care who I have to call. Security, the police, the New York fucking Times, I’ll ruin you.”

Mr. Nolan turns his gaze to her, his eyes cold. He just looks at her for a moment before growling, “You’re not worth my time.”

He turns and walks out, slamming the door closed behind him.

“He wouldn’t have hit me,” Emma says quietly. “He prefers to threaten and then punch a wall. He likes to watch how we flinch.”

“I don’t give a shit. He doesn’t get to do that to you.”

“Baby,” Emma says as she goes back to the bed and lies back down. “He’s an asshole. He’s going to do shit like that whether you want him to or not. Once this wedding is over, I’m just going to ignore him as much as I possibly can.”

Alyssa kisses her on the cheek. “You shouldn’t have to do that, darling.”

“I know I shouldn’t. It’s just the way it is.” Emma gives a thin smile. “Sorry to kill the mood.”

“What do you mean?” She gently tugs on Emma’s shirt. “I’m still more than eager to get you undressed, Em.”

Emma laughs and sits up, making Alyssa whine. “I’m just putting the deadbolt over on the door.”

“God. Yes. Please do that.”

* * *

“Hey. Can we talk?”

“You’re supposed to be quiet on a golf course, Nolan,” Shelby mutters as she takes her swing, sending the golf ball soaring towards the green.

Emma picks up Shelby’s golf bag and slings it over her shoulder as they walk across the grass. “Yeah. I know. That’s why you always hated golf.”

“I don’t know what to say to you, Em. I don’t even know where to begin.”

Emma is quiet for a moment. “Do you love her?”

Shelby laughs. “Hell. I love her more than I could ever say. I fell for her the moment you introduced us, Em. I should’ve had the courage to tell you. I just didn’t.” She shakes her head and sighs. “If you want to punch me, I won’t blame you.”

“I’ll kick your ass the next time we fence. That’ll be enough for me.” Emma tightens her grip on the bag. “Why?” she whispers.

“Why?”

“Why did neither of you talk to me? I know when Kaylee is being vague about something. I’ve known her all my life.”

Shelby stares down at the grass. “It’s my fault.”

“I know when  _ you’re _ being vague about something, too,” Emma says mildly.

“Your dad and Kaylee’s mom. They found out that Betsy paid for me to go to school. They claimed that the money had come from the company, and that if we spoke to you, they’d demand it back. With interest. And they’d sue me if I didn’t give it back within a year.” Shelby swallows. “I-I didn’t - don’t - have that kind of money, Em.”

Emma frowns. “Grandma would never use company funds for something like that. And even if she did, I don’t think my father could sue you for it.”

“I don’t think so, either,” Shelby says with a sigh. “But we were young, and we were scared. You know how they are. They’ll do anything to get what they want, and we assumed they could do it.”

“Jesus,” Emma whispers. “Sometimes it amazes me that they can hate me this much.”

“I’m sorry, Emma.”

“I know you are.”

“Not just for that,” Shelby says quietly. “I… Kaylee invited you here for me.”

Emma frowns. “What do you mean?”

“It’s not that she wouldn’t have wanted you to come,” she adds quickly. “It’s just. The initial plan was to reach back out to you once we were together and it was safer for us. But she… she knew I’d be miserable, so she thought she’d see if you’d come, because…” Shelby shrugs. “You’re still the only real best friend I’ve ever had.” She gives a dry laugh. “I’m sorry. That’s horrifically selfish, and you deserve far better than either of us.”

Emma is silent for a long moment. “You know, I… I’m happy. I didn’t really think that I was. But I am.”

“Alyssa?” Shelby prompts softly.

“Yeah,” Emma says with a small smile. “I’m happy with her. She makes me happy.” She slides her free hand into her pocket. “I’m not exactly enjoying my time here. But I’m glad to have the chance to reconnect with you and Kaylee. I truly am, Shelby. I wish things had been different, but none of us can change what happened. Knowing how I felt, knowing how scared I was… I understand. I understand why you’d be scared, too. And now, I… I’d rather just try to move past it all. For all our sakes. If that’s okay?”

Shelby swallows and nods, her eyes watery. She clears her throat and looks forward. “God, how far away is this stupid golf ball?”

Emma laughs and pats her on the shoulder. “This is maybe also why you shouldn’t play golf.”

* * *

Alyssa frowns as she ties Emma’s tie for her. “Why exactly are you so excited for blackjack night? Do you play often?”

There’s a glint in Emma’s eyes as she shakes her head. “Nope. I don’t play it often at all.”

Alyssa leans back and puts her hands on her hips. “Why don’t I trust the look on your face right now?”

Emma grins before leaning in and kissing her. “No idea.” She winks and holds up her hands. “Nothing up my sleeve, babe.”

“Okay,” Alyssa laughs. “Now you’re  _ definitely _ being weird.”

“Don’t worry,” Emma says as she opens the door. “I’ll be completely serious while I’m playing. You won’t notice a thing.”

“What does  _ that _ mean?”

* * *

Alyssa flinches as Mr. Nolan slams his cards down on the table and points across at Emma, who’s watching him with a completely emotionless, neutral expression. “You’re cheating.”

“Why would I ever do that, Dad?” Emma asks innocently.  _ “How _ would I even do that? I’m doing nothing but playing the game, same as you.”

“I-I… You…” Mr. Nolan stares down at the table. “You have to…”

“Are you  _ accusing me _ of something, Father?” Emma gives him a thin, cold grin. “Is that what you’d really like to do right now?”

Mr. Nolan glances around at the number of people in the room, most of whom are starting to turn towards them to stare. “I-I… uhm…”

Alyssa sees Betsy, standing near the door to the balcony, smirk and turn to step outside.

As Mr. Nolan starts to sit back down, Alyssa kisses Emma on the cheek and slips through the crowd to follow.

* * *

“Your granddaughter is rather impressive,” Alyssa says as she takes a seat next to Betsy on the balcony.

Betsy laughs and hands her a glass of wine. “Yes. She is indeed.”

“Seventy grand on a blackjack game? Good God.”

“Patrick has been known to toss money at cards when he gets frustrated, and Emma took advantage of that.” Betsy gives her a sideways look and lowers her voice. “Plus, I taught her how to count cards when she was five.”

Alyssa chokes on her wine. “She  _ was _ cheating?” she hisses.

Betsy laughs. “I’d call it rebalancing the odds to her favor. Lord knows the girl needs some of that, especially from my son.”

The humor between them fades into an uncomfortable silence.

“I don’t know what to do,” Alyssa says softly. “I don’t know how to help her. I don’t… Sometimes it feels like she has no faith in herself at all. Like she doesn’t think she’s worth anything, no matter how talented she is.” She shakes her head slowly. “She could run this whole place. I know she could. And I don’t think she even actually believes that.”

Betsy is quiet for a moment before she reaches over and pats Alyssa’s knee. “You believe in her,” she murmurs. “That matters more than  _ you _ might know, honey. And trust me, Alyssa. It matters a whole lot to me, too.”

* * *

Shelby gives a soft sigh as she misses her swing in the racquetball court.

“That’s not like you.”

She turns around, startled, and watches as Betsy picks the ball up from where it’s landed in the corner. “I-I… Betsy. Uhm. Hi.”

“You seem nervous,” Betsy says quietly as she hands the ball to Shelby and takes a step back.

Shelby gives her a strained smile. “I’m just… tired. Everything’s been pretty busy.”

She turns back towards the court, bouncing the ball against the floor a few times.

“Yeah,” Betsy murmurs. “I’m sure things would get busy when Kaylee’s cheating on her fiance with you.”

Shelby freezes, the racquetball bouncing uselessly a few times before rolling across the floor. After a moment of total silence, she faces Betsy again, barely able to meet the anger and disappointment in Betsy’s eyes.

“Oh, Shelby,” Betsy whispers. “What have you gotten yourself into?”


	12. Chapter 12

“I swear to God,” Shelby stammers, taking a few steps back. “It’s not what it looks like.”

Betsy leans against the wall, still frowning. “I would love to know how. Because I got up at three in the morning yesterday to take a walk because I couldn’t sleep, and I saw Kaylee sneaking out of your room. Combine that with the way you’ve been looking at each other when you think no one is watching…”

Shelby closes her eyes. “Dammit,” she mumbles. “We’ve been trying not to spend any time with each other at night, but she was upset, and I… how am I supposed to say no?”

“She’s engaged,” Betsy says. “That’s how you say no.” She sighs. “I’m not saying it’s solely on you, Shelby. Kaylee is another conversation. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t still expect more from you.”

“Hold on, hold on, I’m not explaining this right. I-I…” Shelby clears her throat. “I’m not… We’re not  _ cheating. _ We’re in love. Nick knows.”

Betsy’s face goes blank. “Excuse me?”

“I-I-I… We have to do this, okay? It has to be this way. If she doesn’t marry Nick first and take all of her inheritance, she’ll lose it when her parents find out about me. They’ll do the same thing to her that Emma’s parents did to Emma.”

“For the love of… I might kill my children,” Betsy mutters. “I’ll talk to them. This is ridiculous.”

_ “No!” _ Shelby lunges forward and grabs Betsy’s shoulders. “Please. Please, you can’t. They’ll ruin us. All I need to do is stomach Kaylee being married to someone else for a short time, and then we’ll have enough money to be untouchable.”

“Do you really care about the money, Shelby? Is that really what you want?”

Shelby winces and lets go of Betsy’s shoulders, turning away. “It doesn’t matter what I want.”

Betsy steps up behind her, setting her hand on Shelby’s back. “It does, honey,” she says gently. “It does matter what you want.”

“I just want Kaylee,” Shelby whispers. “She’s all I want.” She rubs at her eyes, taking in a slow breath. “There’s a part of me that…” She shakes her head. “Nothing.”

“What, Shelby?”

“Emma is happy,” Shelby says slowly. “She’s happy without the money. And I guess a part of me just… wishes that Kaylee could be happy with just me.”

Her hands tremble as she shakes her head and goes to pick up the dropped racquetball. “It doesn’t matter. None of it matters. We have a plan, and it’s going to work, and we’re going to be happy.”

Betsy narrows her eyes. “But you’re  _ not _ happy. Have you talked to Kaylee about any of this?”

“Of course not. She’s going through enough right now. The amount of stress this thing is causing her is…” Shelby shakes her head again. “No. I can’t do that to her. I can’t make her start worrying about me when she’s already worrying about everything else.”

“And who  _ is _ worrying about you?” Betsy asks softly.

Shelby gives her a tired look. “It doesn’t matter,” she repeats.

Betsy’s expression softens. “Oh, Shelby.” She gently sets a hand on Shelby’s cheek. “I’m so sorry.”

She feels the break coming and tries to hold back the tears, but it doesn’t work, and she collapses against Betsy.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Shelby admits in a whisper.

Betsy hugs her gently. “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart. I promise.”

* * *

“I’m so fucking tired of parties,” Emma mutters, fidgeting with her tie as she and Alyssa stand off to the side of the room, watching Kaylee’s mother move from person to person, talking about how much money has gone into the event.

“So am I, and I’ve made a literal career out of doing nothing but going to things like this.” Alyssa takes Emma’s hand and pulls her out into the empty space at the back of the room. “Come here. Dance with me.”

Emma laughs. “Nobody’s dancing. This is one of those miserable chatty parties.”

“Do it anyway. Fuck them.” Alyssa presses a soft kiss to Emma’s lips. “We’re happy, and if they don’t want to be happy, who cares?”

“True.” Emma spins her gently before pulling her back in and kissing her cheek.

“You know, you weren’t lying,” Alyssa says quietly. “You can dance.”

“I told you.” Emma gives her a small smile. “You doubted me?”

“You have no idea how many clients I’ve had who have insisted that they didn’t need any help but couldn’t even do the most basic steps.”

Emma watches her for a long moment. “I might not always be able to be as open with you as you deserve, Lys. I’ve just trained myself to be closed off a bit too much. But I promise you that I’ll do my best to be truthful with you.” She pauses. “I’m in love with you.”

Alyssa rests her forehead against Emma’s. “I’m in love with you, too.”

Emma smiles and sets her hands on Alyssa’s hips. “Why don’t we forget the rest of this party? There’s a restaurant a little ways outside of town. We could go there, just the two of us. Spend time together instead of catering to whatever stupidity my family wants to force us to go through.”

“I’d like that.” Alyssa strokes her fingers down the back of Emma’s neck. “I’d like that a lot.”

“Good. Let’s get out of here, then.” Emma takes her hand and pulls her towards the door.

Mr. Nolan’s harsh, sarcastic voice catches them by surprise before they can leave. “Taking your whore for a walk?”

Emma stops dead in her tracks, her brain going blank almost immediately. Alyssa gives her a nervous glance, but Emma just lets go of her hand and turns around to face her father. “What the fuck did you just say?” she asks in a quiet growl.

Mr. Nolan is staring at her with a smug look. He tosses a folder at her, but she doesn’t bother to grab it, letting it fall at her feet. “I found the advertisement. Alyssa Greene. I have to say, you did a very good act, but hiring a whore to be your date? That’s pathetic even for you.”

She can sense Alyssa pressed close to her, hear the nervous hitch in her breath, feel the slight tremble of nervous anxiety going through her body.

She starts to say something, to come up with a reply.

The only response she thinks of is to take a step forward and punch her father in the face.


	13. Chapter 13

The moment Alyssa watches Emma punch Patrick Nolan in the face seems to happen in slow motion, like it’s part of a dream or a fantasy.

Then hell breaks loose, and she knows for a fact it’s reality.

One of the security guards for the hotel grabs Emma by the collar of her shirt, yanking her back so roughly that Alyssa hears her choke. Another helps Mr. Nolan to his feet as he screams with a rage she’s never seen in anyone before.

_ “Get that filthy stray out of my fucking hotel! I don’t want to see her anywhere near my property again, do you understand me?” _

Alyssa shoves the guard who’s holding Emma, furious as he tightens his grip the more she struggles against him. “Stop it! Let go of her!”

_ “Stop.” _

The whole commotion comes to a halt with one, quiet, calm word as Betsy walks through the party and approaches the scene.

“I did nothing, Mother,” Mr. Nolan says, holding a handkerchief to his bleeding nose. “This was an unprovoked attack, and I-”

“Patrick, you’re an adult, and you’re her father,” Betsy interrupts coldly. “Do not whine to me if you’re so insulting that you can’t keep her from punching you in the face.” She turns her attention to the security guard. “If you do not get your hands off of my granddaughter in the next five seconds, you will answer to me.”

The security guard drops Emma as if his hands are burning, and Alyssa grabs her before the awkwardness of the angle makes her drop to the floor.

“It’s okay, Grandma,” Emma says softly. “We’ll leave. It’s not worth it.”

“Emma. Your father might _ run _ this hotel, but I _ own _ this hotel. I do not want you to leave, so you aren’t leaving.” Betsy glances at Kaylee, who looks scared as she almost hides behind Nick and Shelby. “Isn’t that right, Kaylee?”

Kaylee stares at her for a long moment, deer in headlights, until Shelby whispers something in her ear. She takes in a breath and seems to steady herself, then steps forward, far enough that she’s visible but not so far that she’s away from her support. “I want Emma to be at my wedding as long as she’s comfortable to be there.”

At one of the tables, Mrs. Klein makes a derisive scoffing noise and shoots a glare at her daughter. Kaylee immediately shrinks back, pressing herself against Shelby and Nick.

Emma shoots a glance at Alyssa, and she nods. “We’ll be there,” Emma says, and her voice comes out clear and firm.

“No, you absolutely will _ not. _ I don’t give a _ shit _ what Amanda wants,” Mr. Nolan snarls, taking out a second handkerchief to deal with his still-bleeding nose. “You’re not coming anywhere near me or that venue. Understand me?”

“Patrick,” Betsy says, her voice quiet and cold, “if you don’t want to be in the same building as Emma, you don’t need to be at the wedding. You can’t ban her from _ my _ buildings.” She jabs him hard in the chest. “Grow. Up.”

She walks over to Emma and pulls down her collar, revealing an angry red mark where the fabric yanked against her skin.

“It’s alright, Grandma,” Emma murmurs. “I’m fine.”

“Hmph. I suppose you think so.” Betsy glances at Alyssa. “Take her back to your room?”

Alyssa nods and takes Emma’s hand. “Come on, baby. Let’s just get out of here.”

* * *

“You didn’t deserve that,” Emma whispers as Alyssa presses a cool cloth against her neck. “I’m so sorry, Alyssa. You didn’t deserve any of that.”

“You know that you don’t deserve his shit, either, right?”

Emma gives a soft laugh. “Yeah. I guess it’s just always been easier to put up with it and wait for it to stop.” She stands up, pulling away from Alyssa’s touch, walking to the other side of the room.

Alyssa takes a moment to just… look at her.

She’s not sure anyone has ever looked better than Emma Nolan standing in front of her in a lavender shirt with a few buttons undone, sleeves rolled to the elbows, and loose black tie hanging around her neck.

“I’m scared, Lys.”

She’s snapped out of her gazing by Emma’s quiet voice, and she refocuses on the worried look on her girlfriend’s face. “Of what, babe?”

“I-I don’t…” Emma shakes her head and looks away, biting her lip.

“Em,” Alyssa whispers, getting to her feet and walking over to her, taking Emma’s trembling hands in hers. “Please. Talk to me.”

“I don’t want to be him, Lys,” Emma says, the words quivering and breaking.

Alyssa feels her heart snap. “Oh, Em. You’re not.”

“I-I just… I got so _ angry. _ It was like my head went blank and all I could think was how badly I wanted to punch him, and the next thing I knew I was putting my fist into his face. I don’t want to be that, Alyssa. I _ can’t _ be that.”

“Emma.” Alyssa grabs her face in her hands. “You’re _ not, _ baby. I swear you’re not. You’re allowed to be pushed past a breaking point. Everybody has a moment when they snap and can’t take it anymore, darling, and this was it. That’s not your fault.”

She sighs and closes her eyes. “I want kids someday, Lys. I don’t want to do to them what my parents did to me. I don’t want to make them feel the way I felt. The way I still sometimes feel.”

Alyssa brushes her thumb against Emma’s jaw, then leans in and kisses her. “You’ll never do that, Emma Nolan,” she whispers. “That’s not who you are. I know it.” She rests their foreheads together. “If you can’t have faith in yourself, can you have some faith in me?”

Emma lets out another soft breath and kisses her again. “Yeah,” she whispers. “I can do that.”

* * *

Alyssa opens the hotel room door and gives Betsy a friendly smile. “I’m sorry, Betsy. Emma is out with Shelby.”

“That’s fine, dear. I was actually looking to speak with you, if I could?”

“Oh. Of course.” Alyssa steps back, letting Betsy into the room.

The woman walks over and takes a seat in the desk chair, and Alyssa sits down on the bed. “Your stay has been rather eventful.”

“Yes,” Alyssa says with a nervous laugh. “It certainly has.”

“Have you been enjoying yourself regardless?”

“You know? Yes. I have.”

Betsy gives a small nod. “I want to ask you something, Alyssa. Give me an honest answer. I won’t be upset.”

“...Okay.”

“If I gave you ten thousand dollars, right here, right now, in cash, and the only rule was that you could never see Emma again. Would you take it?”

Alyssa pauses. “No.”

“You hesitated,” Betsy points out, leaning back in her chair.

“I’d be a fool if I didn’t at least think it through. Two seconds was enough for me to know that I want Emma more than you could ever pay me off.”

Betsy smiles slowly. “Good girl.”

Alyssa blinks. “Huh?”

Betsy stands and squeezes her shoulder. “If you had taken it, honey, I would’ve know what sort of person you are. Would’ve known not to let Emma be with you.”

“After everything Mr. Nolan said… you still believe that Emma and I are together?”

“Honey,” Betsy says with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “I’ve seen you two at these parties. You can’t fool me.”

“I love her,” Alyssa blurts out. “I-I… It hasn’t been long at all, and I don’t know how I can feel this way about her so quickly, but I… I love her.”

“Good,” Betsy says gently, patting Alyssa on the cheek. “She deserves it. You both do.”

As the woman steps past her to head for the door, Alyssa feels an opportunity presenting itself.

One that’s about to leave.

“She would be better than him.”

Betsy pauses and looks back at her. “What?”

Alyssa swallows. “No matter what Mr. Nolan does for you, no matter how good he is at his job, Emma would be better. She _ wants this, _ Betsy. More than I think she’s ever let you know.” She looks down at her hands, nervous to meet Betsy’s curious gaze. “I think she’s too afraid of the possibility that you’ll say no.”

Betsy is quiet for a moment. “Patrick and Amanda - my daughter, not Kaylee - were always so disinterested in their children. My husband and I used to take the kids and entertain them with projects while we were at work. Show them things that would keep them busy but also teach them how we wanted the company to be run.” She gives a soft laugh. “Emma and Kaylee were always far better at and more interested in what it actually took to run my business properly than their worthless parents ever were.”

“Then give them the chance to prove it,” Alyssa urges, taking a step towards her. “Don’t let their parents destroy them. You can fix this; I know you can. You might be the _ only _ one who can.”

Betsy stares at her for a long moment. “You know,” she says softly. “You know about Kaylee and Shelby.”

“I-I… How do _ you _ know?”

“I know both of my granddaughters far better than either of them seem to think.” Betsy glances down at her watch. “It’s getting late, Alyssa. The wedding is tomorrow. You should get some sleep.”

“I don’t know if I can,” Alyssa admits.

Betsy gives her a soft smile. “That’s because you have a soft heart, child. It’s a hard thing to have in this family.” She opens the door. “Try to keep it.”

* * *

Kaylee grumbles under her breath as she rubs at her eyes and heads for her hotel room door, the incessant knocking thundering in her head. “Mom, I swear to God,” she mumbles. “I’m getting married at four; there’s no need to wake me up at six.”

She wrenches the door open, murderous, but the anger turns to confusion when she sees Emma standing in the doorway, a disheveled mess. Her shirt is fully unbuttoned to show her white undershirt, her tie is haphazardly sticking out of her pocket, her hair is fluffed up in strange directions, and there are bags under her eyes as if she hasn’t slept at all.

“Emma? What the hell is-”

“She’s gone, Kay,” Emma says, her voice soft and gentle.

Kaylee feels her heart drop to her feet immediately, but she still asks, “Who?”

“Shelby. She left.” Emma gives a heavy, exhausted sigh. “Kaylee, I don’t think she’s coming back.”


	14. Chapter 14

“I don’t understand,” Kaylee mutters as she paces her room, her hands shaking as she visibly tries to keep herself from crying.

“Kay,” Emma says quietly, “I think you and I both know why she felt she couldn’t be here to watch this.”

“She was fine. When I talked to her last night she was fine. I was upset because my mother was pushing me about…” Kaylee glances at the door to the bedroom of her hotel suite and shakes her head. “I was upset, so we went and got donuts and just talked it through. And sh-she seemed fine, she was laughing, she was teasing me, I-I…” She sits down on the couch across from Emma, a blank, helpless look on her face.

Emma just sits and waits, watching the slow realization form on her cousin’s face.

“Oh, God,” Kaylee whispers, a choked sob in her voice. “Oh,  _ God. _ How didn’t I see it?” She puts her face in her hands, her shoulders trembling. “Why didn’t I see it?”

“She didn’t want you to.”

Kaylee swallows and lifts her head, and Emma can see tears on her cheeks. “I-I need to call her. I need to talk to her.”

“You can’t.”

_ “Please, _ Emma,” Kaylee begs, desperation flooding her voice. “Please, I need to talk to her. I can’t do this without her.”

“Kaylee.” Emma shifts forward in her chair and takes Kaylee’s hands in hers. “I saw her leave last night. I tried to convince her to stay, but she left before I could get many words out. I’ve been looking for her all night. Her phone is off.”

Kaylee runs her hands through her hair and stares at the floor. “What am I supposed to do, Em?”

“I don’t know,” Emma admits.

“Kayl, wha’s goin’ on?” Nick asks sleepily, sticking his head out of the door of the bedroom and squinting at them.

“Nothing,” Kaylee says.

“Shelby left,” Emma says at the same time.

Kaylee throws a pillow at her.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t think we were keeping it a secret that your maid-of-honor-slash-secret-lover  _ ran away the day of your wedding,” _ Emma hisses, throwing the pillow back at Kaylee.

Nick disappears back into the room for a moment and comes out pulling a t-shirt over his head, already wearing jeans and sandals. “What’s the plan?” he asks through a yawn.

“Plan?”

He blinks at Emma. “Yeah, I mean, we’re gonna go look for her, right?”

Emma stares at him for a moment. “Nick, I take back every bad thing I said about you when we were in high school.”

“Than- Wait, what did you say about me in high school?”

“Can you both not do this right now?” Kaylee asks in a strained voice.

“Alright.” Nick folds his arms across his chest. “Kaylee, I think we need to trust our friends here. It’s the only way we might get this fixed before your parents notice that something’s wrong.”

“What are you saying? Tell people the truth? Nick, the more people who know-”

“What are you more worried about?” he asks. “People knowing, or Shelby?”

Kaylee swallows. “Get them here.” She glances at Emma. “Alyssa too?”

Emma nods. “Of course.”

* * *

Alyssa strokes her fingers along the back of Emma’s neck, nearly soothing her to sleep as watch Greg, Kevin, and Hayden chug coffee as they watch Kaylee and Nick fidget awkwardly in front of them.

“It’s so early,” Hayden groans. “Why doesn’t Shelby have to do whatever this is?”

Kaylee whimpers.

Nick sets a hand on her shoulder. “Guys, look, we need your help with something, and we need you to not tell anyone about it, even any of our parents. The thing is, I can’t explain until I admit something first.” He takes in a slow breath. “I’m not actually in love with Kaylee.”

Kevin blinks and looks down at his watch. “Man, you probably should’ve figured that out way earlier.”

“No, Kev, that’s not what he means,” Kaylee says softly. “None of this was real.”

“What does that mean, exactly?” Greg asks.

Nick puts his arm around Kaylee and gives her an encouraging squeeze.

“I… My family won’t give me access to my inheritance if they find out…” Kaylee clears her throat. “If they find out I’m in love with Shelby.”

“Holy shit,” Greg and Kevin both whisper.

Hayden blinks. “Oh. It’s good that you like her back. I felt bad watching her pine from afar.”

Kaylee stares at her for a moment. “I’m not even going to address that.”

“The problem is,” Nick says, “Shelby left. We’re not sure where she went, and she turned her phone off. We want to try to find her before the Nolans realize we’re gone.”

“Which is easier said than done.” Emma gives an exhausted sigh. “I know my aunt. She’ll be in full momzilla mode far earlier than any reasonable person should be. Somebody will need to distract her.”

“You’ve been up all night, Em,” Kaylee murmurs. “You shouldn’t go back out again.”

“Let me be distraction, then? I won’t be able to sleep like this.”

Alyssa leans over and kisses Emma’s cheek. “I think that’s a fine idea, baby.”

“Alright.” Nick runs a hand through his hair. “Let’s figure out where we’re all going and then get this done.”

* * *

Alyssa and Emma separate at the door of their hotel room, Emma preparing to go inside to change.

“Hey,” Alyssa whispers, pressing a kiss to Emma’s lips. “Don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what?” Emma asks.

“Think that this is on you. It’s not.”

“I should’ve stopped her. I was the one who was with her. She was fine when we were at the bar, but then she got a text and something about it seemed to set her off. She was scared, Lys. And nothing that I said made her feel better.”

Alyssa kisses her, long and slow. “It’s not your fault. You need to stop blaming yourself for things you haven’t done, Em.”

“I’m working on it. I promise.” Emma sighs and checks her watch. “My body might  _ force _ me to nap for an hour, but hopefully my aunt won’t be awake yet.”

“That’s fine. We’ll done what we need to do, and you can do what you need to do.” Alyssa leans against her for a moment. “Emma?” she whispers.

“Yeah?”

“I’m worried for them.”

Emma takes in a breath. “Yeah. So am I.”

* * *

Emma waits for Alyssa to walk away, then goes into their room and changes her clothes, electing to leave her tie off.

She opens the door, checks that none of the others are still in the hallway, and walks down to the lobby.

* * *

She finds Shelby in the one place she didn’t think to look the night before, but where she knows she should have looked all along.

“If you’re not here to keep your mouth shut and duel, Nolan, you should just leave now,” Shelby growls, pacing the training room like a trapped lion as she spins her epee in her hand.

Emma puts her hands in her pockets, watching her calmly. “I just want to talk, Shel.”

“Funny,” Shelby says dryly. “That’s the  _ last _ thing I want to do.”

“Alright then. If that’s how you want it to be.” Emma takes one of the other epee swords off of the wall and walks over to her. “Duel  _ and _ talk.”

Shelby takes a step back. “Em, you aren’t wearing any gear.”

“I’ll manage.” Emma jabs forward, and Shelby is forced to block instead of protesting further. “Why are you doing this to yourself?”

“I’m doing this to  _ protect _ myself. I’m losing it, Em. You know that. I won’t be able to keep it together all day. I just need the space.”

Emma dodges out of the way of Shelby’s sword. “I’m not talking about the running. I’m talking about this plan to begin with. You’ve been struggling, and you haven’t been telling Kaylee about it. I saw the look on her face when she realized that something’s been wrong for a while. It killed her, Shel.”

Shelby freezes, her arms dropping to her sides. “You talked to Kaylee?”

“Of course I did.” Emma gently prods Shelby in the stomach with her epee. “Point for me.”

“You can’t just-” Shelby pushes forward angrily, making Emma retreat as their swords clash between them. “Why would you  _ do _ that?”

“She deserved to know. She deserved to be prepared, so that she didn’t find out that you weren’t there  _ while she was standing in front of our family.” _

“I would’ve showed up,” Shelby retorts. “I was going to show up.”

“You’re full of shit. I saw the look in your eyes last night, Shel. I spent all damn night trying to find you. There is no way you were going to that wedding.”

“Shut  _ up!” _ Shelby shoves forward, her sword jabbing hard against Emma’s shoulder, hard enough that, combined with the suddenness of her anger, Emma falls backwards onto the practice mat. “What would you have me do, Emma? I love her! I’d give anything for her!” Her voice cracks. “She just wouldn’t give anything for me.”

“You don’t know that,” Emma whispers. “You don’t  _ know _ that, Shelby.” She sits up. “Talk to her. Please. Give her a chance to make this right, for  _ both _ your sakes. You’ll never forgive yourself if you don’t.”

Shelby sighs and reaches out to help Emma back to her feet. “I think it’s too late for that.”

Emma scoffs. “What, you think Kaylee’s going to dump you just for one good panic? Please. I’ve seen the way that idiot looks at you. She loves you way too much.”

“It’s not that,” Shelby murmurs. “That text last night, the one that freaked me out. Kaylee’s mother told me specifically that if I cause any trouble at the wedding, she’ll ban me from all Nolan properties. I  _ live and work _ at one of those properties, so… it’s definitely a threat.” Her voice lowers, trembling a bit. “And I’m terrified to know  _ why _ she would want to threaten me.”

“We’ll figure it out, Shel. Okay? But hiding down here, shoving your emotions aside, taking Kaylee’s fears on for yourself without letting her see your own, that’s not going to do you any good. Believe me, I know.” She pokes Shelby in the side with her epee, making her wince and glare. “So suck it up and go out there and do what you need to do to keep the woman you’re in love with. Got it?”

Shelby swallows and nods. “Thanks, Nolan.”

“Thank me if it works,” Emma jokes dryly, taking Shelby’s sword and going over to the wall to hang them back up.

“Yeah.” Shelby pauses. “This doesn’t count as you winning, by the way.”

Emma grins at her. “I’m pretty sure it does, Gonzales.”

* * *

They step out of the front door of the country club, and they immediately hear Kaylee’s voice yell,  _ “Shelby!” _

As they turn, Shelby is practically tackled, stumbling a few steps backward as Kaylee hugs her desperately. “Oh, God,” Kaylee whispers. “Where were you? We’ve been all over the place.”

“Just trying to clear my head.” Shelby hesitates before hugging her back.

Emma looks just past Kaylee, where Nick and Alyssa are walking up to join them. “Where are the others?”

“Still out in other places,” Nick says. “I think Greg and Kevin are at the train station.”

“Guys, I… It’s not…” Shelby swallows. “You didn’t need to worry this much.”

“Of course we were worried.” Kaylee rests her head against Shelby’s, her breathing ragged. “Please. Please, just talk to me. I can’t go through this without you.”

“I-I… I don’t know if I can do this at all,” Shelby whispers. “I don’t know if I can watch you marry someone else.”

“I-”

_ “Kaylee!” _

Kaylee whimpers and jumps, turning Shelby so that they’re both facing Mrs. Klein as she storms up to the group from the sidewalk that leads from the parking lot.

Mrs. Klein stops a few feet away, glaring, her hands on her hips. “Where have you all been? We need to get ready! This is unacceptable!

Emma sees Kaylee glance over at Nick, who gives her a small nod.

“Mom,” Kaylee whispers, clutching Shelby’s shoulder. “Can we talk?”

Mrs. Klein’s gaze drops to Kaylee’s hands and gets even colder, and Emma gets a sudden, sinking feeling that she knows exactly why her aunt had threatened Shelby. “Get in the car, Kaylee,” she says, her voice icy and quiet.

“Mom-”

_ “Amanda Kaylee Klein, get in the fucking car!” _

Shelby takes a step back, pushing against Kaylee with wide eyes as Emma, Alyssa, and Nick all take nervous steps forward.

Kaylee swallows. “No.”

Mrs. Klein blinks. “What?”

Shelby glances over her shoulder at Kaylee, confusion on her face.

Kaylee opens her mouth a few times, starting and stopping attempts at sentences.

“Fuck it,” she says finally, before tightening her grip on Shelby’s shirt, pulling her even closer, and kissing her.


	15. Chapter 15

Emma hasn’t seen the older Amanda Klein this furious since the time she, Kaylee, and Shelby skipped school and broke into her uncle’s liquor cabinet.

And that time, her aunt slapped all three of them.

“What in God’s name do you think you’re doing?” Mrs. Klein demands, glaring at her daughter with ice cold anger.

Kaylee stops kissing Shelby but continues to hold onto her as she turns to her mother. Her voice is still shaky, but her eyes are clear as she says, “Mom. I’m not in love with Nick. I never was. This wedding was just a ruse, but I refuse to put up with it anymore. I’m in love with Shelby.”

“No. You’re not.”

“Yes. I am. I have been for years.”

Mrs. Klein walks towards her, and Shelby subtly grabs Kaylee by the hip, pushing her behind her. Nick gets closer, looking nervous. Mrs. Klein stops, pointing directly in Shelby’s face. “I warned you, Gonzales. I warned you that if you caused any trouble, you’d be banned from my property. You better start packing and looking for new employment, because you’re _ done.” _

Kaylee blinks rapidly. “Mom, y-you… you can’t do that to her.”

Mrs. Klein pushes forward suddenly, shoving Shelby aside and grabbing Kaylee by the collar of her shirt. She pulls Kaylee in close, yelling directly in her face. “I can do whatever I want, you ungrateful little bitch! Do you know how hard I’ve worked to keep things together? How much time I’ve had to spend with your worthless little friend so that you didn’t get confused before you were married? And you _ dare _ to stand here and try to ruin that?”

“What do you…” Kaylee pales. “You knew,” she whispers. “How long did you…”

“I didn’t know that you were actually… _ involved _ with the girl. If I did, I would have driven her out of your life years ago.” Mrs. Klein tightens her grip on Kaylee’s shirt. “But I _ did _ know that you think you’re… that you’re confused. I thought that if we forced you to stay away from your cousin, it would help keep her horrible influence off of you, but clearly that didn’t work.”

Kaylee swallows. “Mom, I’m not confused.” She gives a dry laugh. “Honestly, I think right now I’m the least confused I’ve been in a long time.”

Mrs. Klein narrows her eyes. “If you weren’t going to be standing in front of a crowd today, I would slap some sense into you. Stop being so ridiculous. You’re not… like _ that.” _

“Standing… Mom, I don’t think you understood me. I’m not doing this. I don’t give a shit what you do to me. I’m choosing Shelby.”

Shelby, who’s watching the interaction clearly waiting for the right moment to intervene, freezes in place, staring, stunned, at Kaylee.

Emma judges for her, watching her aunt’s grip on Kaylee slip a bit in her shock. She hurries forward, shoving Mrs. Klein backwards a few steps, away from Kaylee.

“What the hell do _ you _think you’re doing?” Mrs. Klein demands.

“If you touch her again,” Emma says quietly, “one shove is going to be the least of your problems.”

Mrs. Klein swings her hand in Emma’s direction, but Emma catches her by the wrist.

“And let me be clear. If you try _ that _ again, well, I just broke my father’s nose. Wonder if I could break yours, too?”

“Emma,” Alyssa warns quietly, glancing towards the country club, where a few people have stepped outside, watching the argument.

Mrs. Klein, not noticing, pulls her wrist away and takes a few steps back. “You can’t do this. None of you can do this. I’m trying to make Kaylee’s life _ normal.” _

“Normal?” Kaylee asks with a soft laugh. “Or what you want it to be?”

Mrs. Klein takes in a few short, sharp breaths. “This isn’t the end of this conversation.”

Kaylee swallows. “It is for me.”

“Yeah? And what exactly are you going to do? By the end of this weekend, your…” Mrs. Klein splutters a bit as she gestures dismissively at Shelby. “Your _ friend _ will be unemployed and homeless, and you will be too if you insist on this… this _ idiotic _claim.”

Nick’s hands tighten into fists. “You can’t just do that.”

Mrs. Klein stares at Kaylee, who stares back, her jaw set. “I just did,” she says quietly.

She shoots another glare in Shelby’s direction, then turns and walks away, back towards her car.

Kaylee lets out a soft sob and nearly collapses, only missing the ground because Shelby catches her and hugs her tightly.

“Oh, God,” Kaylee chokes. “Oh, God, what did I just do? I fucked everything up.”

“Shh,” Shelby murmurs, holding her as close as she can. “It’s okay. You’re alright.”

“What are we going to do?” Kaylee.

“We’ll figure it out. I’ve been stashing money away just in case anything went wrong. Not a lot, but enough to get out of here.” Shelby pulls back, just a bit, and rests her forehead against Kaylee’s. “We’ll be fine, Kay. I swear it to you.”

“Marry me,” Kaylee whispers.

Shelby blinks at her. “What?”

“Marry me, Shelby. We said we would when this was over. Well, fuck them and their circus. Let’s just get out of here and be who we’re supposed to be.”

Shelby gives a light laugh and kisses her. “What’s gotten into you?”

“I’m tired. I’m just so tired.” Kaylee shakes her head slowly. “I can’t do this anymore. I just want you.”

Shelby makes a soft, choked noise and hugs her close again. “All I’ve ever wanted was you, Kaylee,” she whispers. “I promise it will be worth it.”

* * *

“Do you know where they are now?” Mrs. Greene asks, pouring some coffee into Emma’s mug before she sits down at her dinner table.

“They already got the marriage license,” Emma says, putting some cream and sugar into mug and stirring. “Kaylee sent me an email. She said she’s going to take Shelby’s name and make ‘Kaylee’ her legal first name, which. I can’t exactly blame her.”

“They’re going to do something small and quick in Vegas next month,” Alyssa adds. “The two of us and Nick are going to go out there to be witnesses.”

“Well, I’m glad they’re happy.” Mrs. Greene smirks at them. “I’m glad you’re both happy, too.”

“Oh, God, don’t start,” Alyssa groans.

Emma blinks. “Don’t start on what?”

“I _ told _ Alyssa that she should make something real with you, but she wouldn’t listen.” Mrs. Greene laughs, her eyes bright with amusement. “And who was right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Alyssa mutters.

Emma grins widely at Alyssa. “Good job, babe.”

“Shut up.” Alyssa leans over and kisses her. “If you weren’t so cute you’d be so much trouble.”

“A badge that I wear with pride.”

Alyssa shakes her head, smiling. “Alright. I need to go to a funeral.”

“How’s your fake crying?”

“Better than your dad’s fake smile when we left.”

Emma snorts. “That’s a very low bar, Lys.”

Alyssa smiles and kisses her cheek before she stands up. “I’ll see you later, Mom.”

Mrs. Greene gives a small wave. “Bye, sweetheart.”

Once Alyssa leaves, Emma shakes her head and snorts. “That woman is always running.”

“It doesn’t bother you?” Mrs. Greene asks mildly. “That she’s still doing her work?”

“Why would it?”

Mrs. Greene shrugs. “Just a question.”

Emma drums her fingers against her coffee mug. “I trust her. I don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Hm.” Mrs. Greene leans back in her chair. “You make a good point.”

“Mrs. Greene, I… There’s something I need to tell you.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m not rich.”

Mrs. Greene raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”

Emma sighs softly. “I know that I presented myself a certain way when I came here that first time, and I apologize for that. But I’m not wealthy. My parents stole all my money from me, all my inheritance. I can put up appearances, but that’s it. Alyssa knows. But you should know, too. I want us to be on the same page if I’m going to continue to date your daughter.”

Mrs. Greene studies her for a long moment. “Thank you for telling me.” She gets up from her chair and walks into another room.

“Shit,” Emma mumbles into her mug as she takes a sip.

After a few minutes, Mrs. Greene comes back and sits down across from her again. “I want you to have something. I know it’s early, and I don’t want you to feel like there’s pressure on you. But I want you to have it, because I have a feeling that you’ll need it someday.”

“What is it?” Emma asks with a frown.

Mrs. Greene holds her hand out, and Emma reaches out, feeling her set something small and metal in her palm.

Emma feels her heart stop as she looks down at the ring in her hand.

“Her father proposed to me with that ring,” Mrs. Greene says quietly. “And my father proposed to my mother with it. And my grandfather proposed to my grandmother with it. It’s gone through three generations of the women in Alyssa’s family, and she deserves to have it, too.”

“M-Ma’am, I…” Emma swallows, holding the ring up to get a better look at it. “A-Are you sure you want me to…”

“Like I said,” Mrs. Greene murmurs. “I know it’s early. I’m not expecting something from you, Emma. But I want you to know that if that time comes, you can be ready for it. You’ll have my approval.”

Emma swallows again, her throat tight. “Thank you,” she whispers.

“You don’t need to thank me, sweetheart,” Mrs. Greene says gently. “You just need to keep making her smile like that.”

* * *

_ “Babe! Can you get the door?” _

Alyssa pulls the door open without checking who’s knocking, and it catches her off-guard to see Betsy standing in the hallway outside Emma’s apartment, waiting with a polite smile on her face.

“B-Betsy,” Alyssa stammers. “Uhm. Come in, please.”

She leads the woman to the living room, where she takes a seat on the chair across from the couch as Emma hurries into the room, in the process of tying her tie. “Who was at the-” She stops, freezing when her gaze lands on her grandmother. “Grandma. Hi.”

“Emma. I didn’t see you much after the…” Betsy chuckles softly. “Well, after Kaylee cancelled her wedding.”

Alyssa sits down on the couch, and Emma sits down close next to her. “We really wanted to get out of there,” Emma says quietly. “My father… he kept trying to get me alone to ‘talk’ about the situation. I really wasn’t eager to find out what that actually meant.”

There’s a flash of anger in Betsy’s eyes, but it’s hidden quickly. “Yes. Well. If you care to visit again sometime, you won’t need to worry about him anymore. I’ve spent the last few months in _ multiple _ meetings with lawyers. The end result? Patrick and Amanda have both been fired. From _ every _ role they hold within the company.”

Alyssa feels Emma stiffen next to her, her jaw dropping. She takes Emma’s hand in hers and asks, “Why would you do that?”

Betsy sighs. “I spent a lot of my life hoping that my children would change. How could I not?” She gives them a regretful smile. “They’re my children.” She sighs again and shakes her head. “But Kaylee’s wedding, the predicament around it, the whole situation, the way Patrick behaved towards Emma, it made it clear to me that they would never change. To put it bluntly, they would never grow up. There is nothing in this world that they wouldn’t be willing to give up just to get more money. And that was never what my husband and I wanted our company to be.”

Emma shakes her head, her brow furrowed with confusion. “But… But you can’t just… they’re vital, Grandma, you can’t just not have anyone in their roles.”

“I don’t plan to.” Betsy opens her bag and pulls out two folders. “I also had these drawn up by the lawyers.” She sets them on the table between her chair and the couch.

Emma doesn’t touch them. “What are they?” she asks, and the softness of her voice makes it sound to Alyssa like she knows damn well what they are, but she’s afraid to hope.

“One of them is the paperwork that reinherits you. The morality clause was old-fashioned anyway, and, as head of the family, I can change the rules. I should’ve done it a long time ago, and I’m sorry I didn’t, Emma.”

Alyssa’s stomach plummets as she realizes what’s going on. “That would… Wouldn’t that also mean…”

Betsy’s gaze briefly shifts to Alyssa. “That she and Kaylee are both going to get the money they’re owed? Yes.”

“Holy fuck,” Emma breathes, running a hand over her face. “Oh, fuck.”

“What’s…” Alyssa shakily points at the other folder.

“That would be a job offer. For both of you.”

Emma stares at Betsy. “What?” she asks, her voice raspy.

“Kaylee already accepted the job her mother used to hold, and we have Shelby in a position as well. I’d like to offer you the one your father held.” Betsy’s gaze flicks to Alyssa again. “And we need a new head of our entertainment department. I think someone social and talented as Alyssa would be good at that, and, if bolstered by a strong enough team, there’d be enough room for you to pursue your own interests.”

Alyssa looks at Emma, who’s so pale so looks close to passing out. “Honey,” she says softly, leaning over and kissing Emma’s cheek. “I’ll take it if you will.”

Emma clears her throat, tears in her eyes. “You’re serious?” she asks Betsy.

Betsy smiles softly. “I’m very serious.”

“Yes,” Emma whispers. “Yes. I’ll do it.”

“So will I,” Alyssa says immediately.

Emma turns to her and lets out a stunned, helpless laugh. “Oh, God,” she says. She ducks under Alyssa’s arms and grabs her around the waist, picking her up as she stands and spinning her a few times before setting her down in front of her and kissing her. “Thank you, Alyssa Greene,” she whispers.

Alyssa laughs. “Thank your grandmother, not me.”

“I will. But I need to thank you first. Without you, I don’t know where I’d be right now.” Emma sets her forehead against Alyssa’s. “But I do know that I would not be anywhere near this happy.”

Alyssa smiles, reaching up and stroking Emma’s cheek. “Get used to it, Nolan. I plan on making sure you’re happy for the rest of my life.”


End file.
